Go Into the Water
by CombatTombat
Summary: Percy's known he was different since the day he was born. Normal people couldn't breathe underwater, or lift cruise ships above their heads. When he was six, he learned the truth of his heritage. Atlantean, his mother told him. She didn't tell him the trouble being a half-Atlantean would bring him in life, but then again, how could she have known that it would kill her?
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

_**Fredrick**_

"Doctor Chase?" A soft voice called out. Fredrick looked up from his stack of maps and records, all related to incidents at sea and references to a people who lived beneath the waves. Admittedly… there wasn't much, and what _was_ there was likely to be a hoax. But he _knew_ Atlantis was real. He just needed proof.

"Yes?" He asked, before frowning. She was young, perhaps mid-twenties, and she had a young boy, easily five or six, holding her hand by her side, looking around his office. "May I help you?"

"I hope so," the woman said, "this is… this is going to sound crazy, but please, just hear me out."

He almost called for security—_almost_. His hand was hovering near the phone when he noticed the boy, who was staring at the school of fish in his tank. But that wasn't what surprised him. The fish were staring _back_ at him, stock still, just… observing.

"Please, sit down, miss…" he trailed off, and the young woman took the seat in front of his desk, her young son getting pulled onto her lap.

"Jackson," she informed him, "my name is Sally Jackson, and this is my son, Perseus."

"Percy," the boy said, "Per-see-us is too long."

"Percy, then," Fredrick smiled at him, "you're a different boy, aren't you?"

"I dunno," Percy said with all the enthusiasm a child could muster. He had to be Annabeth's age, but even now, Fredrick could pick up things about him that were out of place in a child. His eyes were a startling green, almost glowing in the low light of his office. His body was just a _little_ too toned for a boy of five, but other than that he really looked normal.

"Percy's father was… well, he was the King of Atlantis, an underwater nation at the bottom of the ocean somewhere. His body is designed for crushing depths, and his muscles are so strong that he's able to swim at these depths the same way that. Percy's just now coming into that strength, among other things, and I need him to be taught as to not give himself away. I've done so much subtle inquiring, and everything led to you."

"It's… it's real?" He breathed, "Atlantis is real?" Sally nodded her head slowly, "I don't know much, Miss Jackson, but I'll do whatever I can to help your son. I promise."

"Thank you so much," she breathed out, "I didn't know what else to do."

"I wish I could say I understand, but…" he gave her a gentle smile, "this'll have to be a very lowkey thing, yes? I think that we should introduce our children to each other, see if they become friends. It'll help explain why I see Percy so much."

"Friend?" Percy re-joined the conversation, "I like friends!"

"Hopefully, love," Sally told him, stroking his unruly hair.

"My daughter Annabeth is around your age, Percy," Fredrick explained, "I think you and she will get along very well. She's always looking for new friends. Would you like to meet her soon?"

"Maybe?" Percy said, "is she nice? I like nice people. I don't like mean people."

"I guess you'll just need to meet her and make up your own mind then, won't you?"

_**XXXX**_

"Percy's here!" Annabeth cried out in excitement. Fredrick chuckled and stepped aside as his daughter barrelled past him, out the door, nearly tackling Percy to the ground. Sally smiled at the sight and gave Mary a slight wave. Fredrick studied the boy as he always did. At eight years old, Percy was easily as strong as an adult athlete, and if his theory was correct, would only get stronger as he grew older. Even he could only guess how strong Percy would become.

"Alright Annabeth let him breath," Mary laughed, and Annabeth reluctantly let Percy go, before dragging him inside.

"Come on!" She said, "if we're lucky we'll see the whales out in the ocean!"

"Okay, okay!" Percy grumbled, but there was genuine happiness in his eyes that couldn't be hidden by his words. He let Annabeth lead him through the house to the roof, where two sets of binoculars were waiting for them.

"How are you, Sally?" Mary asked, ushering them inside, past the play-pen where Robert and Matthew babbled incoherently to each other.

"Busy, mostly," the younger woman sighed, "I've had to pick up extra shifts at Sam's lately, since running the lighthouse doesn't pay much. It's not easy, but we make do."

"If you ever need us to watch Percy, we're more than happy to," Mary smiled.

"Oh, I couldn't ask that!" Sally protested, "it's nearly forty-five minutes from our house to here! And that's if traffic's light!"

"Percy and Annabeth love spending time together," Mary shrugged, "we certainly wouldn't mind watching him if you need time to work, or just relax. Besides, the twins seem to calm down far more often when he's here to play with them, and unlike Annabeth, he loves doing it, so it's really a win-win for us."

"Truly, Sally, we don't mind," Fredrick added, "Percy's a delight. We'd be more than happy to have him over more often."

Sally Jackson was stubborn—Fredrick knew that to be a fact—but as she chewed on her lip, he couldn't help but realise just how desperate she really was. That she was willing to leave her son, easily the one person she valued more than anything alive with them for possibly entire days at a time showed that things weren't as simple as she had tried to pass them off as.

"We can talk about this later," he offered, "why don't you come in and have a cup of tea, or coffee?"

"Tea would be lovely, thank you," Sally said as Mary walked them to the couch. Fredrick went to the kitchen without a word, turning the kettle on before pulling several mugs out of the cupboard. He let his mind drift off as he thought about Percy. The boy was clever—far cleverer than he let on, and incredibly intuitive. He hadn't told anyone about his ability to breath underwater, and he hadn't even let on that he could command fish, not even to Fredrick himself. Or perhaps Percy didn't _realise_ he could do it, in which case, Fredrick needed to teach him.

"Here you go," he said as he handed the tea over to the women, before going back and grabbing his own. "Percy and Annabeth are still trying to spot the whales. I don't think they've had much luck."

"If only they could talk to them," Mary chuckled, not noticing the way that Sally stiffened slightly. So Percy _had_ told someone, then. It just wasn't him. That was fine, he understood why Percy would wait before telling him about this development. He just hoped he wouldn't withhold too much for too long.

_**XXX**_

"Good job, Percy!" Fredrick praised as the fish swam away, "you're getting much better at talking to them!"

"It's… it's not talking, Doctor Chase," Percy frowned, "it's more… commanding, and while it's natural, I still feel _wrong_ doing it. They're living creatures, and I just—just force them to do what I want. It's not right."

He should've seen it sooner. He really should have. From when he was nine to when he was thirteen, Percy had gotten a stepfather—Gabe Ugliano. Fredrick had never liked the man, and he couldn't tell why, until one day, he got a panicked call from Annabeth, saying something about the police, and Sally, and he hadn't heard much else before rushing to Montauk with Mary. When they arrived, Gabe was being carted off on a gurney, handcuffed to it. A sobbing Sally was holding Percy, apologising profusely. That was when he had found out the truth.

Gabe was abusive. He was an angel when Sally was around, but the moment she vanished, he would take out any frustration he felt on Percy. While Percy didn't bruise easily back then, it was still possible, though Fredrick knew it would take severe trauma to form the bruises on his torso. He still didn't know the full story, but he had gotten bits and pieces over the years since. 'Fire Iron' was a word that came up every so often. It made him sick. Even three years later, Percy could get incredibly passionate when he saw anything that could be construed as abusive. He placed a hand on Percy's shoulder.

"I'm sorry, Percy, I should've realised." He apologised, "let's focus on something else, why don't we? You're getting faster in the water, right?"

"Much," he nodded, "and I'm getting stronger. I wasn't paying attention where I was and went through the hull of a shipwreck. It was steel, so I think it was a ship from one of the world wars, maybe, or around that era. There wasn't much left to identify it, but I didn't look either."

"I don't blame you," Fredrick chuckled, "I'd have been mightily distracted as well."

"I…I know it's important I learn to control my _abilities_," Percy practically spat the words, "and I will, but for now could we—could we maybe hold off on the whole talking to fish thing?"

"Don't worry about it," Fredrick assured him, "okay, let's call it a day. I'm sure Annabeth needs your help with prom stuff, right?"

"No?" Percy frowned, "why would she?"

Fredrick blinked.

"You didn't ask her to prom? She told me that she had been asked by a boy, and I just assumed…"

"I—no, I hadn't asked her. She uh, didn't tell me that anyone had asked her," Percy said softly, and Fredrick felt awful. He had just—Percy and Annabeth spent so much time together that sometimes _Fredrick_ himself felt as if they were dating. "I think… I think I'm going to go for a swim. Thanks again, Doctor Chase. I'll see you later."

"Yes, yes, of course," he coughed, "until next time, Percy. Oh, Percy, one last thing, if you don't mind?"

"Sure, what is it?"

"While you're out swimming… could you possibly keep an eye out for any sign of Atlantis? It would be amazing to discover what I can about it!"

"Yeah, uh, I'll keep an eye out, for sure," Percy said, before wading into the surf, not a care in the world for his clothes. He didn't have anything on him but what he was wearing—he had swum to this little cove from his home at Montauk. Fredrick smiled as he turned around, not noticing the way that Percy spat at the sea, nor the look of annoyance on his face as he glanced over his shoulder back at him. And even if he had noticed them, he wouldn't have known _why_ he reacted that way.

**XXX**

"So who asked you to prom, Annabeth?" Fredrick asked casually, as his daughter worked on her homework. She stilled immediately, and he could practically hear the gears turning in her head.

"Oh, um, it was, uh, Percy!" She blurted out. Disappointment wasn't a feeling that Fredrick was used to with Annabeth, but in this moment, with this lie, he couldn't help but feel it. She seemed to read it on his face. "…you've spoken with Percy, haven't you?"

"Less than an hour ago, in fact," he confirmed, "he was even more in the dark about being your prom date than I'd have imagined for a boy who _asked_ you. Now, why are you lying to me?"

"It's just, uhm, I don't really think you'd approve," she said meekly, "and I didn't want you to stop me from going."

"Is he a criminal? A drug dealer?" Fredrick asked. Annabeth shook her head. "Well then he can't be that bad. Who is it?"

"It's… Luke. Castellan." Annabeth told him.

"The senior?" Fredrick asked. "Who was _suspected_ of assisting his father in robbing a jewellery store?"

"It's not true! Everyone knows it's not true!" Annabeth protested.

"Annabeth," Fredrick sighed, "I'm not going to tell you that you can't go. Nor am I going to tell you to pick another date. I just wish that you'd have been honest with me upfront."

"I'm sorry dad," Annabeth said, "but I knew you didn't like him… and neither does Percy. That's why I didn't tell him."

"Percy's a pretty good judge of character, Annabeth," Fredrick reminded her, "he saw Gabe for what he was before any of us did, and when we didn't believe him, he suffered for it. Have you asked him _why_ he doesn't like Luke?"

"He wouldn't tell me," his daughter groaned, "he just insists that he's not as good of a person as everyone thinks he is. But Luke is nice. He's _good_. I know it. I know it!"

"If you insist," Fredrick frowned. "I still think that you should at least _talk_ to Percy. He is your best friend, after all. Or has that changed too and you didn't tell me?"

"Dad!"

"Just asking," he shrugged, "you're nearly an adult, Annabeth. I can't control you, nor do I have any desire to do so. You're very much like your mother in that regard."

**XXX**

"Percy?" He heard Mary ask, before gasping loudly, "oh dear, what happened?"

The sound of crying drifted into his study just after, and it took him an embarrassing moment to realise that it was Annabeth. He was to the door in a flash, where Percy was holding a crying Annabeth, who didn't look to be able to stand on her own.

"He's such an asshole!" his daughter slurred, swaying on her feet. She was drunk. Fredrick held in a sigh of disappointment. "How could he do this to me?"

"Let's get you to bed, dear," Mary said, taking Annabeth from Percy, "you can tell me all about it there, yes?"

"I wan-I want Percy to take me!" Annabeth declared, but she let Mary lead without complaint.

"What happened?" Fredrick asked once they were out of earshot.

"Luke ditched her pretty quick," Percy sighed, running his hand through his hair, "Annabeth found him in a… compromising position with another girl, so she went and got utterly shitfaced. The moment I found her I drove her straight here."

"Oh my poor girl," he muttered, "how could he do this to her?"

"I think I broke his jaw," Percy admitted, "he didn't even care about what he had done to her. I just… I snapped. I don't particularly care, either."

"You have to be careful, Percy," Fredrick warned him, "no one will think much of it due to the circumstances, but if you make a habit of this…"

"I don't plan to," Percy cut him off, "could you drop me back at the school? I need to get my car and drive home."

"What about your date?"

"Who do you think Annabeth found Luke with?" Percy asked bitterly.

"_Oh_. Oh, I see. Don't worry, I'll drive you there. I'm so sorry about tonight, Percy."

"Don't worry about it, Doctor Chase," Percy's voice was low, "I wasn't planning on having a good time anyway."

"You've got two more proms in you at least, my boy," Fredrick ruffled his hair, "hopefully they're better than this one was."

_**XXX**_

"Oh look at you two! All ready to graduate!" Mary clapped her hands together. Both Percy and Annabeth looked incredibly uncomfortable in their robes, but they smiled convincingly the moment that the cameras came out.

"Let's just get this stupid ceremony over with," he heard Percy mutter, grunting slightly when Annabeth elbowed him.

"Okay seriously, it's not that bad," she told him, "and have you been working out? Your ribs are practically rock solid."

"A little," Percy shrugged, "most of it probably comes from swimming."

"Don't lie to me Perseus Jackson," Annabeth chided him, "you don't become that toned from _swimming_. Come on, tell me! Is it for a girl? Is that why you've secretly been working out?"

"I guess I just have good genetics," Percy said simply and sharply, and Annabeth instantly recoiled.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have pushed," she said softly.

"No, no." Percy shook his head, "it's not your fault. It's just around that time of year again. Mom's getting melancholic and I'm getting snappy. You know how it goes."

"I know, but still I shou—"

"Annabeth, it's fine, really," Percy assured her, "now let's get this thing over with. I want to go swimming."

"You always want to swim," Annabeth pointed out.

"Doesn't mean that I mean it any less this time," Percy chuckled, "come on, I can see Grover and Juniper waiting for us. Let's get going. We don't want to be late, do we?"

"I suppose not," his daughter sighed dramatically, "it would be asking too much, wouldn't it?"

Fredrick watched them stroll of the side, noting with pride as the two greeted nearly everyone who crossed their paths, without any hesitation. From what he had gathered over the years, Percy was seen as a bit of an outsider, considering how much time he spent at Montauk, but he was, without fail, one of the more liked students at Goode High School. Annabeth, likewise, was immensely popular, and as the valedictorian, one of the smarter students. People asked her for help, and she freely gave it. That was the dynamic between Percy and Annabeth. People went to his daughter for help with school, but to Percy for help with _life_.

Fredrick sighed after a moment. Despite searching for two years, Percy still hadn't come across Atlantis, and so there was no proof for his research. _Or maybe he had_, a quiet voice in his mind said, _and he isn't telling you_.

Fredrick pushed that voice aside as he strolled into the gymnasium. Sally was already seated, looking far older than her thirty-nine years, the stress clearly building on. Fredrick and Mary had helped where they could, as had Percy once he came of age, but there was still so much for Sally to do, and not enough time to do it. She was pushing herself too hard, and she knew it. Still, she managed to beam a warm smile at his family as they approached, motioning to the seats next to her that she had clearly held for them. Like Percy, Sally was universally loved—or perhaps it was the other way around—and if she had asked for several seats to be held for the Chases, no one would've questioned it.

"Isn't this wonderful?" Sally asked them as they sat, "our children, ready to go onto to college, and then the world?"

"It's an inspiring moment," Mary nodded, "but I still remember them when they were tiny, playing with each other in the sand, splashing each other with water. It's so odd seeing them now as adults."

"They'll make a mark on this world," Fredrick added, "I'm sure of it."

Sally shot him a glare, causing Fredrick to look away. She was really intimidating when she wanted to be, for such a sweet woman. He refocused his attention to the stage, where the principal was coming out to begin the graduation. He didn't really listen, instead thinking about the conversation he needed to have with Percy.

He watched with pride as his daughter gave her speech, clapped with the others when Percy took his diploma with a wide grin on his face, laughed with them when a big bucket of flour doused the Stoll Brothers, who looked stunned for a moment before they too burst out in laughter. He spoke with the other parents about how proud they were of their children and promised to catch up with them for drinks. The entire time, he followed Percy as he moved around, talking with all sorts of people without any hesitation. Popular, unpopular. Smart, not-so-smart, it didn't matter. He treated them all the same. That was how Sally had raised him. He decided to wait. He'd talk to Percy later, after graduation was over.

**XXX**

"You want to what?" Sally hissed at him, Percy stopping her from moving, but even then, his face had gone from shock to betrayal before blanking completely.

"Think about it, Sally, Percy!" He tried to explain, "if we reveal who you are, where you come from, think about the possibilities!"

"Let's not!" Sally exclaimed, and once more, Percy stopped her from moving towards him.

"No, let's," Percy spoke for the first time, "here's a potential scenario—you heard about the boy from San Francisco? The one who they found out could control lighting, could fly—was super strong? Do you remember how the government tried to turn him into a weapon to use in their wars? Or how about the girl in New Orleans, who was nearly lynched by a mob because they thought she was a witch? Or the 'Ghost' in Detroit who led the city's SWAT team into an ambush that ended when they dropped a bomb on the building he was in? What do you think would happen to me, Fredrick?"

He blinked. Percy had, as far as he knew, never used his first name. He circled around Fredrick's desk, moving right in front of him.

"I can lift upwards of fifty tons when I'm out of water, and who-even-knows how much weight I can handle when I'm _in_ the water," Percy said softly, and that terrified Fredrick more than anything, "my muscles are so hard that no metal can cut me. I can take a bullet point blank to the head and it's like getting hit with a rock. If I push myself as hard as I can, I can swim ten thousand feet per second. That's nearly seven thousand miles an hour. I can leap hundreds of feet into the air. I am the perfect weapon for any nation. And you'd make me _known_."

"All these years, all this research and I'm just supposed to hide it—_you_—away? This would make us famous, Percy! We'd be seen as pioneers in the scientific world! If you tell me where Atlantis is, it'll be even more cred—"

"Enough!" Percy snapped, and it was only then that Fredrick realised why he had moved. Before he could open his mouth to protest, Percy's fist went right through his computer, tearing the hard-drive out and crushing it in his hands.

He watched in horror as all his research, physical and digital, was destroyed by the raging Atlantean. Percy seemed to know where all his research was, no matter how well he thought he had hidden it. It took ten minutes, and the past twelve years of his life was gone. Crushed, burned, torn and soaked. Just… gone.

"Forget your plans, Fredrick," Percy told him, "they were dangerous, and just this once, because of what I just did, I'll forgive you for thinking it was a good idea. If there's a next time, I won't be as forgiving."

Percy led Sally out, and she shot him once last glare before they were gone. Fredrick crashed back into his chair and held his head in his hands. How could he have let this happen? There was nothing left. Everything he had done, gone. There was no _proof_.

He blinked. There was no proof now… except for Percy. Percy _was_ the proof he needed. He just didn't know how he would get it. He just needed… he needed someone who would do it, no questions asked. Some like… some like—he knew exactly who to call.

He pulled out his phone and searched the name of the man he was looking for. Amazingly, there was a number to call. His finger hovered over for a moment, as he thought about what he knew about this man, what he had done, and what he could do. It was dangerous, to trust a mercenary, especially a young one, to do exactly what you needed, but in the end, Fredrick could justify it to himself. This was for science. This was for knowledge.

He pressed the number, and his phone began to ring.

Once. Twice. Three times. He was about to hang up when—

"Who is this and what do you want?" A deep voice came through the line.

"My… my name is Fredrick Chase," he said, "and I'd like to hire you."

"I know you," the man on the other end replied, "what do you want me to do?"

"There's a… special man, with special abilities. I need you to get a blood sample from him—it'd be best if he didn't even know why it was needed," he explained, "I don't want anyone getting hurt."

"I'll do what I can. His name?"

"Percy Jackson."

"Doctor Chase," the man said slowly, and a pang of worry wormed its way into his chest, "it would be my absolute pleasure."

The phone was hung up, and Fredrick let out a deep sigh. He was committed now. Alone in his ruined office, there wasn't much he could do.

He was practically numb as he began typing out emails to nearly a dozen local news outlets, telling them everything he knew about Percy, and Atlantis, which, for the latter at least, was not much. Once that was done, he sat back and closed his eyes. He _needed_ this to work.

**XXX**

"What have you done?" Annabeth screamed at him, "is this some sort of prank? There're _dozens_ of people swarming Percy's house asking him about his 'powers' and now they're saying _you_ tipped them off?"

"Fredrick," Mary said slowly, "why would you say these things? I just watched poor Sally give a _press_ conference about how her son is regular boy, just like anybody else. Which he _is_. We've known him since he was six for Gods sake. This was too far, Fredrick, and I can't begin to imagine why you would even do this!"

"It's all true!" He insisted, "I never told you the truth about how I met Sally and Percy. It wasn't at the aquarium. They came to _me,_ asking for my help. Percy was just starting to come into his 'powers' as you call them, and he needed help learning to control them."

"You're ridiculous," Annabeth scoffed, "this is a publicity stunt. You're so desperate to be famous that you'd do something so horrible to my best friend. I can't believe you."

"I've seen it myself, Annabeth!" Fredrick tried telling her, "I've seen Percy do things no regular person should be able to do! I've seen him lift weights unimaginable, swim at speeds that no person could dream of reaching. I had _all_ my research and then he went and destroyed it all! Without any hesitation. I had to do this, don't you understand?"

"No, Dad, I don't," she told him sharply, "once this has blown over, I'm going to apologise to Percy and Sally, and then I'm going to college. I'm more than happy to talk to you and the boys, Mary, but Dad, I don't want to hear from you. This is unreal."

She opened her mouth to say something else, but her phone began ringing and ringing and ringing. She checked the caller I.D. before frowning and picking up.

"Silena? What is it?" She asked, and Fredrick couldn't hear anything that her daughters' friend was saying, but he could see the way she paled, and the way that tears gathered in her eyes. "When? Is she…?"

After a moment she hung up.

"Someone attacked Percy at Montauk," she told them quietly, "Sally tried to fight his attacker off, but he hit her hard. She's had a heart attack. The doctors don't think she's going to make it."

Mary let out a gasp and Fredrick stumbled back a little.

"This is _your _fault," Annabeth spat at him, "because you wanted to be the famous 'Doctor Chase.' I never want to see you again."

And then she was gone, storming out of the room, and the house. Fredrick knew she'd be going to the hospital, to Percy and Sally.

"I have supported you all these years," Mary told him, her voice cold, a sign her anger was rising, "without question. But this was too far. Annabeth was right, this _is_ your fault. I'm going to take the boys to my parents for a while, and then I'm going to go see Sally. You're not welcome, Fred. Don't try to come."

He watched them leave too, half an hour later, bags packed, and his sons confused. He collapsed back into his chair. He hadn't…he hadn't wanted anyone to get hurt. Sally was his friend. He didn't—God, what had he done?

Three days later, he finally built up the courage to go to the Jackson lighthouse at Montauk, the day of Sally's funeral. The building was surrounded by news vans and reporters, all with their cameras set up and trained on the door.

"We only want to ask some questions!" A reporter called out, "why won't you come out and answer us?"

"Is it true you can breathe underwater?" Another called over.

"Do you really talk to fish?"

"As you can see, Carl, the scene behind me is hectic, with reporters yelling at the house in the hopes of drawing a response out of one Perseus Jackson. Earlier this week, Doctor Fredrick Chase told multiple news agencies that Mister Jackson was an 'Atlantean,' a water-breathing race from the bottom of the ocean," a woman was reporting, and thank God no one had noticed him yet, "In recent days, Sally Jackson, Perseus' mother, denied these claims, saying that Doctor Chase was clearly suffering from some form of issue. Then, three days ago, a mysterious man attack Mister Jackson, and during the struggle, injured Miss Jackson. She later died of a heart attack."

"He's got to come out at some point," a reporter muttered, "his mother's funeral is today."

"He's just _sitting_ there," a woman said, "why's he just sitting?"

Suddenly and without and warning, the door exploded into shards of wood as Percy stalked out, his face furious.

"What do you want from me?" He demanded of them.

"We just want to know what you are!" A reporter that had bowled over asked from the ground.

"I know what I am," Percy told them as he tore his shirt off, pushing through them towards the jetty.

"Percy!" Fredrick tried to call out to him. The young man glanced to his right, and his gaze hardened at seeing him. "Percy, wait!"

"I'm not one of you!" Percy roared at them, before diving into the water, vanishing beneath the waves.

"What the hell?" Someone muttered as a spray of water flew into the air. They didn't know what that meant, but Fredrick did. He was swimming hard.

He swallowed down a sob as he realised what he had done.

**MMXIX**

**So this isn't Filii Deorum. But it is one of several stories I want to write, so here we go with this. Quite simply, this is a kind of DC inspired superhero story, where Percy is a balling Aquaman-like figure. Others will be involved, as hinted to towards the end of this chapter. This will follow the comics more than the DCEU, because those are what I read. Anyway, I hope you enjoy, and feel free to leave a review or send me a PM!**

**Cheers, CombatTombat**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

_**Percy**_

The steady beeping of the heart monitor was the loudest sound in the room. He sat by his mother's side, listening to the weak beating of her heart. He could also hear the officers in the hallway stopping any of the reporters and tag-alongs from getting through. At least he was alone with her.

"You're thinking too hard," his Mom wheezed, "and you're frowning. Stop it."

"I'm sorry, mama," he said softly, "I tried to stop him but—"

"I know, darling boy," she assured him, weakly reaching for his hand, "it wasn't your fault, Percy. My heart was weak anyways. It would've happened sooner or later."

"If Fredrick hadn't said anything it would've been _later_," Percy growled, "how could he do this to us?"

"Percy," his Mom interrupted, "Percy, listen to me. I need you to do one thing for me when I'm gone."

"Mom—"

"No, Percy, listen," she said as forcefully as she could, "I know you never wanted to, but I need you to go into the water. I need you to find your father, and tell him that I always loved him, and I never stopped waiting for him."

"Mom, he left us!" he argued.

"Not by his choice, my love," she told him, "promise me, Percy. Promise me."

"I-I promise," he replied in a whisper, "I'll find him. I'll find my dad."

"Thank you," she breathed out, "I'm getting tired. I think… I think I'm going to go to sleep now."

"No," he said forcefully, bolting up, "no, no. Stay awake, mama. Stay with me."

"It's okay," she said dreamily, "I'll see my parents."

"No! Mom!" Percy hadn't let go of her hand, even as the doctors burst into the room. He was in so much shock he didn't fight back when a nurse shoved him out of the way. He didn't fight as another took him gently into another room, sat him down, and explained that his mother hadn't made it. He just sat there, numb to everything.

"Percy?" The voice was pensive, as if it weren't sure how he'd react to it. He didn't blame the speaker. Annabeth Chase had more reason than most to be apprehensive to how he'd receive her. "I heard about… Percy, I'm so sorry."

"What do you want?" He asked, not looking up. "What more does your family want from me? What else can you take, Annabeth?"

"I don't—I didn't come here to—" she stumbled over her words, trying to figure out what to say to him, but Percy knew it wouldn't make a difference.

"Go away," he whispered, "just…leave, Annabeth. I can't stand you being here."

He heard her gasp, but thankfully, she did as he asked, and her footsteps marked her exit from the hallway he was hiding in. Still, she didn't go far, because he heard the stifled sobs escape her body three rooms down from where he was. Silena and Charles were trying to comfort her, and that was when he stopped listening, instead rising from his seat. He needed to go home.

**XXXX**

His mother's funeral was today. He was supposed to be getting ready for it. He was instead sitting at the dining table, leafing through the different scrapbooks his mom had made over the years. Almost all of them were just photos of the two of them doing different things—skiing in Colorado, paintball in Connecticut, horseback riding in Texas, and even that one time they went skydiving. Of all the things he had done, that probably wasn't in Percy's fondest memories. Being in the sky felt… weird to him, oddly enough. It had been similar to being underwater, except for the fact he had no control. He hadn't done it since.

"…he's just sitting in there," he picked up someone saying outside. He held in a groan as his phone buzzed, his nineteenth text from Silena, asking if he was okay. He hadn't responded to any of them.

"He's got to come out at some point," another said, and he really wished he could just shut them out. The problem was how many of them were present, their chattering overwhelming his senses as his head began to pound. He let out a growl, crushing his phone in his hand as he rose, the glass shattering as the electronics sparked for a fraction of a second. "He's just sitting there? Why is he sitting?"

"His mother's funeral is today."

"It's his mother's funeral."

"…mother's funeral is being held in several hours."

He didn't realise he was moving until the door burst into splinters. Those closest to the front of the lighthouse collapsed backwards in surprise. On top of the dozens of reporters there were police officers, locals, and even some of his old school friends in the crowd.

"What do you want from me?" He roared at them, not caring for how they flinched back.

"We just want to know what you are!" Someone called out to him. He tore his shirt off, knowing it'd just get in his way for what he had planned.

"I know what I am!" he snarled.

"Percy! Percy wait!"

He recognised the voice, and a glance confirmed that Fredrick _fucking_ Chase was in the crowd. For a fraction of a second, he considered tearing the man's heart out. Only for a fraction, however.

"I'm not one of you!" He leapt forward off the edge of the jetty, the water enveloping him in a cushion of safety he hadn't felt in several days.

The ocean was, as always, welcoming, and even as he descended beneath depths that no human would have been able to survive, descending into an inky blackness that promised only death, he felt safe. His vision flared for a moment before he could see normally. The seabed was rough and uneven, crevices and gullies cutting into it, but Percy didn't bother investigating as he settled down against a large rock, breathing deeply as his lungs adjusted to the change from oxygen to water, quickly adapting and letting him breathe easy.

He wasn't sure he sat there. Perhaps it was a few minutes. Perhaps it was a few hours, but eventually, he kicked upwards, and just followed the currents, letting them sweep him along without complaint. A Great White swam along him for some time, eyeing him curiously, but not doing much more.

When he finally detached from the current, he found himself staring at a shipwreck. It was a whaling ship from the early nineteenth century, from what he could gather, and its hull had been smashed in several places below the waterline. Some of the wood had eroded over time, leaving the upper deck mostly skeletal, and it was there, chained to the mast, that Percy found the skeleton

Its flesh had been eaten away, but some of the clothes still remained. They were nicer than most sailors would have worn, and Percy rather suspected he might be staring at the captain. Either a mutiny or something else had led to his death, and he wasn't sure which was worse—that he had to suffer losing his ship, or that he had been chained to it and drowned as it sank.

He studied the shipwreck a little longer before swimming away, far, far away. He didn't need any more reminders of death.

**XXX**

Truthfully, it was by sheer accident that he encountered the yacht. Percy had just been swimming when he realised the currents were far stronger than they should've been. He breached the surface to find himself in a storm. The waves were tall, and the sky was filled with lightning, thunder booming through the air.

The yacht was in the distance, struggling against the storm, and even from the distance he was at, Percy could see it was close to capsizing. He took a deep breath, considered his options, and then did the only thing he really could. He swam towards it, ramming it with a shoulder to force it upright, and then swam towards the front of the ship, grabbing the anchor and yanking it down, as he started kicking hard, towing the yacht behind him.

He couldn't be sure how long he swam—an hour, two hours? He was only focused on what was in front of him. What he _did _know was that when he surfaced, he was in the Caribbean, as opposed to the eastern coast of the States. The fact he hadn't torn the anchor from the ship was sheer luck. He finally released it, before staring at the bottom of the hull for several moments. He knew he should swim away, leave it be but… what if he had hurt someone?

He clambered onto the deck to find a man and young woman staring at him in amazement. The man was older, and his hair, while greying, was an auburn colour. The woman, on the other hand, had bright red hair. They both wore life-vests, and seemed shaken.

"Are you alright?" He asked them, "I didn't mean to swim so fast."

"You… you…" the man stuttered, but it was the girl who spoke.

"You're that guy from the news!" She exclaimed, "the Atlantean!"

"Yeah," he said dumbly, "I am."

"I, uh, I'm sorry about your mom," she said sheepishly, "your name is Perseus, right?"

"Percy, Perseus makes me feel old," he admitted, rubbing the back of his neck.

"I'm Rachel," she introduced holding her hand out, "this is my dad, Will."

"William Dare," he said, and Percy blinked. Mr. Dare caught his reaction, "yes, _that_ William Dare. I owe you a great deal, young man. You saved not only my life, but the life of my daughter as well. If you need _anything_, don't hesitate to ask."

"No, I'm, uhm, I'm good. Thank you for offering though." No matter what else happened, Sally Jackson had raised him to be polite, even when declining something.

"Why were you out in the ocean anyway?" Rachel asked, "I mean, I guess it's pretty much your natural habitat but—"

"I grew up in Montauk, actually," he corrected, "I never spent too much time in the water before. I was…meandering, I guess. I mean, technically, I'm supposed to be looking for Atlantis, but I wouldn't even know where to start. I've never met anyone from there, so yeah."

Why he was telling her this, Percy didn't know, but there was something about Rachel that made him trust her. The feeling would end up paying off rather quickly.

"Oh! I remember reading an article from Norway a while ago, about a man they pulled from the ocean," she clapped her hands together, "he said he was from Atlantis, but they just thought he was waterlogged and crazy. He's a sort of oddity in their village. I think he's still there."

"Norway?" He repeated, and at her nod felt a flash of hope in him, "thank you so much, Rachel! I appreciate it!"

"You did say my life," she reminded him as he made his way to the edge of the ship, "if you're ever in Manhattan, feel free to reach out to me!"

He dove over the edge without responding, orienting himself northwards before he started swimming. He didn't subject himself to a blistering pace, instead settling for several hundred miles per hour. It was enough to work him, but otherwise he would remain refreshed. Schools of fish would pause and study him, and at one point, when he slowed down and just let the current move him along, several sharks swam alongside him, eyeing him curiously, but not doing much else. Percy knew more about sharks than the average person, and while he knew they didn't see him as prey at the moment, that perception could change in a heartbeat.

The sun was rising when he walked out of the ocean, right into a group of school children and their parents, several of whom squeaked in surprise. That was the moment that Percy realised he didn't speak a word of Danish.

"Uh…Atlantean?" He asked, pointing at himself.

"Oh! You're looking for that Atlantean man," a woman replied in accented English, "he doesn't live here. He lives near Hanstholm, to the south. It's about… thirty miles, I believe?"

"I see," he muttered, grateful someone understood him, "thank you."

"So he wasn't lying, then?" She asked him, pulling her child a little closer, "he really is Atlantean?"

"That's what I'm trying to find out," he replied, "thanks again."

The locals in Hanstholm pointed him towards a beachside house about a mile out of town, but also warned him that Chiron, the man who lived there, might not be home. He was known to vanish for days at a time, but no one seemed particularly bothered by it. It surprised Percy how many people spoke English, or at the very least enough of it to tell him what he wanted to know. He raised his hand to knock on the door when he heard movement behind him.

"Can I help you?" He turned to find himself face to face with a middle-aged man with brown hair and matching eyes, which widened at the sight of him. "My Prince!"

He kneeled, and Percy looked around before it struck him that he was talking about him.

"What are you doing? Stop kneeling, I'm not a prince," he said, feeling awkward beyond belief.

"Forgive me, Perseus, but you _are_ a prince," he said, and Percy stiffened. He hadn't told him his name. "I recognised you from your looks. You look just like your father."

"You… you knew my father?"

"His name was Poseidon, and he was the King of Atlantis," the man, who Percy presumed was Chiron, told him, "and he was also one of my closest friends. I am Chiron, and I was an advisor to him for many years."

"Was?" Percy asked, and Chiron nodded sadly,

"He passed several years ago in a terrorist attack."

Percy felt the small hope he had left leave his body in an instant, and he sagged against the wall.

"My mother…my mother just died," he explained, "she wanted me to go tell my father…well, it doesn't matter now, does it?"

He gave a bitter laugh and slid to the ground. Chiron joined him, sitting silently at his side.

"Your younger half-brother, Triton, has been crowned king," he said after several minutes, "Triton and his mother blamed me for not finding out about the plot in time, and exiled me. I can't say that I blame them, to be honest. I should have known. I'm sorry about your mother. Was it peaceful?"

"In a way," Percy sighed, before explaining the past week to him. Chiron had been tossing a rock back and forth in his hand, and when Percy got to what Fredrick did, he crushed it into powder. He stared at the Atlantean in amazement. Chiron just gave him a small smile.

"I imagine you have some idea of what you can do?" He asked, and at Percy's affirmative nod, continued and said, "but you'll only have scratched the surface. If… if you're willing, I would teach you the way of Atlantis? Our customs, language, the things like that. How to swim properly, as well."

"I know how to swim," he said defensively.

"No," Chiron laughed, before standing up. "You do not."

He held his hand out, and Percy stared at it for several moments, considering his options.

Then he grabbed it.

**MMXIX**

**Chapter Two! The next one will be Percy as well, and will kinda be a montage of sorts as he spends the next year training and learning under Chiron, who has assumed the mantle of Vulko if we continue the Aquaman-related theme, but he's more like movie-Vulko than comic-Vulko. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed, and let me know what you think!**

**Cheers, CombatTombat**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

_**Percy**_

"Orin then ascended to the throne after the death of his brother, and was-was coronated? Is that the word?" Percy squinted at the tablet before him, "or is it crowned?"

"Truthfully either one could work," Chiron informed him, "but in this case, I would recommend 'coronated' instead of crowned, as it _is_ an official document."

"Document implies paper, Chiron, this is a slab of rock," Percy laughed, "but on the bright side, at least I can _read_ these scribbles now. Only took, what, three months?"

"I'm surprised you learned so fast, if we're honest, and though I may be entirely wrong, I think that it may be _because _you are Atlantean that you took the language so quickly. There's something about our people that's _more _than regular humans," Chiron said, "that's my theory, at least."

"What do you mean?" Percy asked him, before snorting. "Do you mean _magic_?"

"How do you think Atlanteans became a water-breathing species?" His mentor shrugged, "and it's not like we don't know magic doesn't exist—it does, Atlanteans have been using it for millennia."

"That's science," Percy replied, "you told me yourself—forced evolution, but it came from a scientific experiment."

"On a magical object," Chiron insisted, "the Trident of Neptune went missing after Atlantis sunk, but that _was_ the catalyst for the disaster. I've read the royal records, my boy, and there's no mistaking it—whatever disaster occurred, it happened while Atlantean scientists were fiddling with that artefact. So I say again, magic."

"Chiron," Percy sighed.

"Percy," the older Atlantean returned in the same tone of voice, "you don't have to believe me yet, that's fine, but when you go to Atlantis, you'll see. Our people weave magic and science together so well it's hard to tell them apart at times."

"We," Percy corrected, "when we go to Atlantis."

"I'm afraid not, my boy," Chiron shook his head sadly, "I was banished by the order of the king, and unless he lifts that ban, I cannot, nor will I, return. Triton is a good man, Percy, and he will gladly take you in. For the longest time as a child, he would beg your father to send the Royal Guard to rescue you, but Poseidon would not. He will love having his brother by his side."

"I'll ask him to lift your exile," Percy promised him, "I swear, I'll do my best to make sure it happens."

"You're a good man too, Percy," Chiron told him, placing a hand on his shoulder, "come, let's prepare dinner. We'll move onto the Chronicles of Atlan the Second once you've finished Orin's Tale."

'Preparing dinner' meant that Chiron would cook while Percy flicked through the different TV channels, mostly Norwegian shows that he didn't understand, but occasionally the channel like BBC or ABC. He had been with Chiron for nearly half a year now, learning how Atlanteans swam, learning their language and customs, and most importantly—at least according to Chiron—their history. Their routine had taken some getting used to, but it had helped Percy cope with his grief somewhat. One of the biggest things that helped was the fact that Chiron could go toe to toe with Percy. Kind of. From what he understood, his royal bloodline meant that he was superior to even baseline Atlanteans, but what Chiron lacked in speed and strength, he made up for in experience. Percy had learned a lot about fighting from Chiron, but he still had a lot to learn. He was eager to see where they could go.

Percy's channel surfing was ended abruptly when he saw his image on the screen before him. It was one of the dozens of photos his mom had taken when he graduated. He turned up the volume, staring at the image, with the words _ONE MILLION DOLLAR REWARD_ printed underneath it.

"_William Dare, of Dare Industries, has placed a one million dollar reward for the location of one Perseus 'Percy' Jackson, who he claims saved his life, and the life of his daughter, during a storm three months ago,_" the reporter was saying, "_while Mister Dare has stated that the reward for finding him is so that he can properly thank Mister Jackson, there have been some unsavoury rumours that in reality, he plans on experimenting on him, especially due to his recent purchase of the Othrys Genetic Research Labs._"

"You can't stay here much longer," Chiron's voice drifted over from the doorway to the kitchen, "a million dollars is a lot of money, and it won't take long for someone here to give you up. I've taught you as much as I can in this short amount of time, but I'm afraid you'll have to continue your studies in Atlantis."

"If they find me, they'll find you," he shot back, "and I'm sure they'd much rather have a full-blooded Atlantean than a half-blooded one. You should leave too."

"Oh, I will," Chiron assured him, "but only after I've drawn their attention away from you. Did you think I didn't account for something like this happening? I'll take you to the edge of Atlantis' territory, before heading back here and waiting for whoever this Mister Dare sends to find you."

"Are you sure?" Percy asked, a frown twisting his features, "two may be better than one."

"It's time for you to go see your father's resting place, Percy," Chiron told him, "Poseidon would never forgive me if I tried to stop you from finally meeting him. I owe it to the both of you to ensure you make it there safely."

"Chiron, if they're coming after me, they'll be prepared for what I'm able to do," he reminded the other Atlantean, "which means they'll be prepared for what _you_ can do."

"They'll be prepared for someone who is _stronger_ _and faster_ than them," Chiron countered, "they will not be prepared for someone _smarter_ than them. I'll be more than fine, Percy. Now, let's get the things you need to prove who you are to your family."

It took Chiron about three minutes to shove a necklace, ring, and armband into Percy's arms.

"These were your fathers. He wanted you to have them, and Triton knows that, so if you show up with them…"

"He'll know who I am," Percy finished, "what…what are these, exactly?"

"The ring was a gift from your mother, when they first met each other," Chiron explained, "the necklace belonged to your grandmother. The armband he had made for you, for when the time came, if you ever visited Atlantis. Each of these are a symbol of Atlantis and will easily be recognised by anyone with even a basic understanding of Atlantean history and heritage."

"And, uh, what if they don't want me there?" He felt the need to ask. Chiron had been insistent that Triton and his other siblings would welcome him, but Percy wasn't sure how they'd really feel about their half-breed bastard brother.

"They'll take you in," Chiron repeated, "you'll understand, eventually. Now, come on, we need to get moving. It'll take us a few hours to reach Atlantis."

"Chiron, I'm not sure—"

He barely picked it up. It sounded like a clacking, but there were multiple of them, so it wasn't a mistake. Someone was outside. He glanced at Chiron, who had heard it too, and had lifted a hand to let him know that he knew. The walls were thick, to keep the cold out and the heat in, so he couldn't really hear what was being said, aside from some muffled noise. But then one of the windows shattered, and a small metal tube rolled in. A bright flash and series of loud pops filled his ears, which was only worse for him in the confined space.

A hand shoved him back into a side room, as he covered his ears with his hands, trying to drown out the noise. It took him exactly eight seconds to regain his bearings, and at that point, ten armed men had stormed into the building. Chiron flipped his heavy wooden table with one hand, knocking three of the men back, before diving behind the kitchen counter as they fired their weapons at him. Percy panicked and kicked out at the chest beside him, shattering the corner but sending it spinning into another two men, who bowled over. That was half their number incapacitated already. Then the remainders turned their rifles on Percy. He closed his eyes as they fired but felt…well, really, he felt a swat on his chest

He tentatively opened an eye to see several holes in his shirt, but no blood, and the bullets on the floor. Rather, there was nothing on his chest to indicate he had just been shot. But he had. Five men had just fired their weapons at him.

"You know what," he said, glaring at the men, who began to back up slowly, "I'm really getting sick of you surface-dwellers ruining my life."

Then he lunged at them.

_**Annabeth**_

"…_three months after he went missing, Perseus 'Percy' Jackson resurfaced three days ago when secret footage that was stolen from Dare Industries was released on the internet._" The reporter on the TV said, and immediately Annabeth and half the people in the bar turned to see what they were saying. She had come at the invitation of Silena and Charles, who had told her it would be a good way to take her mind off of things, but now, the one damn thing she didn't want to think about was coming to everyone's attention. "_A warning to any of those who are faint of heart, there is some rather graphic violence in this footage._"

The TV screen switched to a helmet-camera, which showed several men standing by a door. The sound of glass breaking was heard, before several loud pops. Then the man with the camera kicked the door open and stormed into the room, the top of a rifle visible in his perspective. Annabeth watched nervously as she saw a man shove Percy into another room, before grabbing a table that looked like it weighed at least a hundred pounds and flinging it at several of the other men one handed. He then dove to the side as the others opened fire.

To the right of the camera man, two men were knocked over by a chest at high velocity, and the camera-man whirled to face the new threat. He faced Percy. Five shots rang out, and Annabeth's heart jumped. Percy flinched, but then he…he didn't die. He opened his eyes, and his hand briefly ran over his chest, before he looked up at the other men.

"_You know what?_" His voice was slightly distorted by the camera, but it was still _his_. "_I'm really sick of you surface-dwellers ruining my life."_

Annabeth had never seen anyone move so fast. Percy was in front of the camera-man in a flash, and the man's gun crumpled as he squeezed it, before throwing the man backwards. There was a loud crash as he slammed into something, before sliding to the ground. The camera kept rolling, and showed Percy throwing one man through a window, and back-handing another into the wall. The remaining two charged him, but he simply shoved them back, and they went flying out of frame.

The man with the camera drew a pistol, and fired it several times, hitting Percy in the back with each shot. They only made him flinch, before he turned around and approached the man, who's hand was trembling at this point. With a level of gentleness that surprised her after seeing him demolish the other men, he removed the gun from the man's grip. And then he crushed it into scrap. He kneeled down so he was level with the camera.

"_I don't know who you are, or why you're looking for me_," Percy said, and his voice seemed rougher than she could remember it being, "_but I'm telling you now—stop. It won't end well for you. Just…leave me alone. Please._"

The man who had pushed Percy aside came into frame then, and spoke to him in a language she didn't recognise. It sounded Greek, but not quite. She spoke Greek. She did not speak whatever that was. What surprised her the most was that Percy responded in the same language with ease, motioning to the camera-man. Percy, who had barely passed basic Spanish. Speaking a language _she_ didn't know. The second man reached out, and the footage cut to black.

Annabeth was still staring at the TV when the glass the Beckendorf was holding shattered, his beer spilling all over his arm, shirt, and the booth.

"Charlie!" Silena cried out as other looked over to see what had happened.

"They shot him," he said, "no warning, nothing. What kind of person does that? He hasn't done anything and _ten_ armed men are sent after him."

"I know, Charlie," Silena placed a hand on his arm while she wrapped her scarf around his hand, the one that had been cut open by the glass breaking. "It's completely wrong, but at least they didn't get him. He's still safe for now. And you saw that he wasn't alone. I'm sure he's fine."

"Until they find him again," Beckendorf pointed out, "is this the life Percy's going to live now? On the run from other people because they want to experiment on him or use him as a weapon, or whatever?"

"I guess we just have to hope that he manages to get away, somehow, right Annabeth?" Silena asked, but she wasn't listening. Her gaze had returned to the TV, which had a still from the video, locked on Percy's face. The image was surprisingly clear, and she could see some close-up details. His eyes weren't dull like they had been when she had last seen him, outside his mother's hospital room, but they _were_ angry. He had light stubble, so either he hadn't shaved recently, or he _had_, and it was already regrowing. His hair was eternally messy, and had been since they were kids, but it didn't seem much longer than she remembered. But all in all, he looked healthy. "Annabeth?"

"Huh?" She turned to Silena, "what did you say?"

"Oh, sweetie, you've got it bad," Silena sighed, "I really wish you had seen it sooner."

"What?"

"Annabeth, did you not realise that Percy has been in love with you since you two were like…twelve?" Beckendorf asked, cocking his head to the side.

"_What?_"

"Christ, Annabeth, I thought you knew!" Beckendorf groaned, "why do you think he was so mad when you went to Prom with Luke Castellan? He knew what kind of person Luke was, but the fact that you said yes hurt him far more."

"But…he never said anything? Like, ever?" Annabeth frowned, "not even after prom."

"Yeah, cuz he thought you'd turn him down," Beckendorf shrugged, "we talked about it, a few times. He'd rather that you two stayed friends than possibly losing that friendship."

"Wait, really?" Silena leaned forward, "tell me more, I never knew about this."

"It was between me and Percy," Charles said, "and it's going to stay that way. Sorry."

"Can we go back to the fact that Percy was apparently in love with me?" Annabeth cut in, "because this is news to me."

"Honey, it wasn't a one-sided thing," Silena, "we all saw how you two skirted around each other. I think it would've happened after a semester at college, if things had…"

Annabeth didn't need to know why she drifted off. Things had changed irreversibly with Sally's death and Percy's disappearance. Annabeth's father's role in it all only served to make things worse. Even those who believed him didn't support what his decisions led to. Annabeth had watched an interview where one of his co-workers described him as 'at best guilty of manslaughter, at worst, conspiracy to kill' and if that didn't sum up how many people felt about Fredrick Chase, she wasn't sure what did.

"We'll talk about this later," Silena said, "we should really get back home. It's getting late."

"Will we?"

"We will," Silena assured her, "I promise, Annabeth, we will have a long conversation about it, but not tonight."

**MMXIX**

**Another chapter down! This is the last time we'll see Percy's surface friends, because for the foreseeable (foreSEAable) future, he'll be where it's better, down where it's wetter (take it from me). Okay, I'm done now. Anyway, Percy will be in Atlantis soon, and then that particular story arc will pick up. As always, feel free to leave a review, or send me a PM.**

**Cheers, CombatTombat**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

_**Artemis**_

"Tell me, Artemis, how is your father?" Queen-Mother Amphitrite asked her as they swam through the halls, "still healthy and hale?"

"He is, my lady," Artemis replied, "last we spoke, he was planning to go into the field with the army, for routine exercises."

"Very good." Amphitrite nodded, "tell me, do you know if he's considered my proposal any further?"

And there it was. A week before Triton was coronated, while Amphitrite still held power as regent, she had offered a betrothal between Artemis and Triton, in order to strengthen ties between their kingdoms. Her father had been putting off answering the offer, because it frankly didn't suit him at all. Triton was young and inexperienced. King Zeus of Olympias had no use for a husband like that for his daughter.

"I have heard no news on the matter," she said diplomatically, "I am certain he is considering your proposal."

"My ladies!" One of the guards called out as he swam up to them, "the king summons you to court!"

"Do you know why?" Amphitrite asked as they began swimming forwards, "court was not scheduled for today."

"It seems that Lord Chiron has defied the terms of his exile and returned to Atlantis. He has brought a guest with him as well."

_That_ was interesting. Artemis had been present when Amphitrite laid the charges of incompetence against easily the most competent man in Atlantis, if not all seven kingdoms, and had been more than surprised when Triton actually allowed him to be exiled. She was certain he would change the sentence to something less serious, but…he hadn't. Perhaps he had still been filled with grief, and needed an outlet, but the fact that he would remove one of his greatest advisors from his position, and then _exile_ him had surprised many. It also made the other city rulers far more confident in their dealings with Atlantis, knowing that Chiron was gone.

"The audacity," Amphitrite huffed. "He obeyed the edict for three years. What has changed now, that he may be so insolent?"

"I'm afraid I am unaware, my lady," the guard said, and that was the end of it. They followed him silently the rest of the way, and when they reached the throne room, it was filled with courtiers and guards. Triton was seated in his throne, eyes locked on one of the two men. She recognised Chiron easily enough—he was wearing the scaled armour he had always worn to court, though the additions of a collar and chains were new. She did not recognise the other man, especially because his back was to her. He was tall, and broad across the shoulders. He was wearing some form of trousers, which were clearly not designed for the water, seeing how the clung to his lower body. Other than that, he had no clothes on. Like Chiron, the man was collared, with two guards holding the chains that kept him in place.

"Mother, Lady Artemis," Triton called out once he spotted them, and a path was cleared by the other guards, which allowed them a direct path towards the king. It was only after she had bowed to him, that she was able to turn and look at Chiron's companion. She blinked once, and then twice, and then a third time. She was staring at a young Poseidon. She had to be. "Allow me to introduce you to my older half-brother, Perseus."

"Percy," he corrected, and by the old gods, he even _sounded_ like Poseidon had. A twitch of a smile crossed Triton's features.

"Percy, then," he allowed, "I must say, I'm surprised to see you here, brother. You never sought out Atlantis before."

"My situation is…complicated," Percy began, before looking around, "do we really need the whole circus here for this?"

"What's a cir-_cus_?" She murmured in Amphitrite's ear, earning a shrug from the queen.

"You've come with a man exiled from Atlantis," Triton explained, "so yes, this whole… 'circus' will remain. Unless you can give me a reason to let them leave?"

"It's personal?" Percy offered, "look, I wouldn't have come here if I didn't have to—I can understand this is awkward for you, but if I had stayed on the surface, I would have been hunted down eventually. I needed to go somewhere safe. Chiron told me Atlantis would be."

He spoke Atlantean like he was born to it, which surprised her, because she had been of the understanding that Poseidon's bastard son grew up on the surface world, which spoke a variety of tongues, none of which resembled Atlantean in history or complexity. Triton, likewise, seemed impressed, both with his grasp of their language, and his explanation. He nodded to himself.

"Clear the room," he ordered with the surety that only a king could have, "my advisors, mother, and Lady Artemis will remain."

Percy shrugged in response to that, clipped short by the collar around his neck, and soon the room was empty save them, making it seem exponentially larger.

"I…just after I finished my education on the surface, a man who was aware of my abilities revealed that I was different to the rest of the surface-dwellers publicly, and to the world," he began, "shortly after that, my home was attacked by an armoured man, who caused my mother to have heart failure. She died shortly after. She wanted me to come tell our father that…well, it doesn't really matter what she wanted anymore. I didn't even know _how_ to find Atlantis, so I just swam, and swam, and swam. Eventually, I heard rumours of a man claiming to be Atlantean in Norway, one of the surface nations, so I went to investigate. That's where I met Chiron. He taught me about Atlantis, it's history, customs, language, all of it. But a few days ago, we were attacked by armed men, who were seeking to capture me. I don't know why. Chiron brought me here immediately after."

"Surely it's not that simple," Elder Tethys asked him.

"Well, yeah, I left some things out for the matter of expediency," Percy sighed, "I can give you the whole story, from when I was six until now, but that would take time. Look, I came here because I have no other choice. But I don't have to stay."

"Percy—" Chiron began, but the man cut him off, lifting an arm to silence him.

"I can't imagine what it's like for you to see me here. I can't imagine that you particularly _wanted_ to ever see me here, but Chiron told me that this was the safest place for me, and I trust his judgement." He said firmly, "that being said, I don't expect to be received like an honoured guest. I can leave right now and never come back. It's no skin off my back."

"You're being hunted?" Triton asked, "by the surface dwellers?"

"I am."

"Why?"

"Because I'm different from them. Superior, in a way." Percy explained. Amphitrite frowned beside Artemis, but remained silent. It fell to Tethys again to speak up.

"Are you able to explain?"

"I'm biologically Atlantean," he said, "my body is designed for crushing depths, and near blackness. My muscles are so hard that their weapons barely leave a scratch on me. I can see in the dark, and my hearing is far superior to theirs. They'll either want me so that they can cut me open and study me, or turn me into a weapon against their enemies. _I_ don't want either of those things to happen to me."

Artemis understood why that would be undesirable. It didn't sound particularly nice up on the surface world. Amphitrite remained silent, watching her son, an action Artemis found herself following. Despite his young age, his brashness, and his inexperience, Triton was not a bad ruler. He tended to make wise decisions, and always listened to his advisors. But once he made a decision, it was rare for him to back down from it and change his mind.

"You will be permitted to stay for as long as you need, brother," Triton declared after some time. "You were right—you're not an honoured guest. You're family. Father would not have let you go to be hunted, and I will not either. And…in recognition of the fact that he helped you, I am reducing Chiron's sentence from enforced exile to house arrest. His property will be returned to him, and he will be confined in his estate for the next five years, pending good behaviour. He will continue to serve as a tutor to you, if you should wish it."

"I—thank you, my king," Chiron tried to bow, but the guards held him in place, so he settled for dipping his neck slightly.

"Perhaps I was too harsh on you before," Triton admitted quietly, "it was a mistake. I am told that kings make them occasionally."

"You did what you felt correct, my king," Chiron told him, and the sincerity in his tone surprised her. He felt no anger for what had been done to him, "and no one can fault you for that."

"Your estate will be returned to you by the end of the day, Chiron," Triton told him, the closest he'd get to an apology, "and you, brother, will be given a room in the palace. I will speak with you later, in private."

"Thank you," Percy said, before pausing, and bowing like Chiron had tried to before. Like with Chiron, the guards tried to hold him in place. This time, however, they failed to hold him in place, and were yanked forward by the movement. The other guards reacted at once, closing in around Triton, but it was the look on Percy's face that stayed with her. He was grinning right at his brother. He had known what he did. It was the confidence of…well, of a _king_. Triton knew it too, but to her surprise, he responded with a grin of his own.

"Unshackle my brother," he ordered, "and let it be the last time a Prince of Atlantis lets chains be placed on him."

**XXX**

The next time she saw Percy, he was with Triton, exiting Poseidon's tomb. His surface world clothes had been replaced with the green-and-gold scaled armour that Poseidon used to wear. Percy wore it like second skin, at seemed more at ease in it than he had seemed in the surface clothes. He swam with a practiced ease, matching Triton like he had always swum in the depths, rather than growing up on dry land.

Whatever the two were talking about, it was serious enough that she didn't try to interrupt, instead maintaining a respectable distance and observing. Percy looked like Poseidon, sounded like Poseidon, and even _moved_ like Poseidon. It wouldn't be long before there were whispers that he would make a better king than Triton, based on those features alone. Artemis wanted to see if he could be a king like Poseidon before she came to a decision of her own. That's what her father would want her to do.

"Ah, there she is!" She heard Triton's voice, "Lady Artemis, a word?"

She swam over to them, setting down with a polite curtsey. Percy gave her a quick once-over, but surprisingly, he wasn't leering. He was evaluating her as a threat.

"My king?"

"My brother was telling me how he wishes to expand his fighting knowledge," Triton said, "and I remember Chiron telling me once that you were one of the most skilled fighters he knew. If it's not an imposition, would you be willing to give him a few pointers?"

Artemis almost said no. She didn't particularly care for Atlanteans. They were a proud and arrogant people, who believed that because eons ago they had been the kings of the Atlantean continent, they still deserved to rule the underwater kingdoms, despite millennia of separation. Atlantis was only nominally in charge of the other kingdoms, and only under the rule of strong kings, like Poseidon. If Triton proved to be too weak, it was more than likely her father would declare independence, sparking a war between Atlantis and Olympias. But with the arrival of another heir, things changed.

"I'd be happy to assist, my king," she said demurely, "what time suits the prince?"

"Whenever you have the time," Percy shrugged, "I don't do a lot here."

She wondered if that was a complaint about his lack of a position, but smiled at him instead. Immediately, she knew she had made a mistake when his eyes narrowed ever so slightly. Something she had done had made him reconsider his initial assessment of her.

"Thank you," he said, "maybe in two hours, my lady?"

"Two hours," she confirmed, wondering if she was going to wander into a trap. She could be ready to leave in an hour, but the truth was, she was intrigued, and wanted to see what he was going to do.

**MMXIX**

**First things first, I'm writing this note the day that I'm publishing the chapter, the ninth of January, but I wrote this around a year ago. Everything up until chapter fifteen was written in 2019, and the rest will be written this year until I've finished the story, so be aware of that.**

**And now, we are introduced to Artemis, who is going to take the role of Mera. Which reminds me, I have a question for y'all, because in this case it's kinda important. When it eventually comes to hero names, because that **_**will**_** happen, would y'all prefer if I used original names, which requires thinking, or apply DC names (like Aquaman, Superman, Wonder Woman, etc.) to the characters I've chosen to fit those roles? Let me know in the reviews or by a PM.**

**Cheers, CombatTombat**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

_**Artemis**_

An hour before Artemis was meant to spar with Perseus, a tremor ran through the city, shaking the buildings in the upper-city and collapsing others in the lower districts, where the buildings were older and built of sub-par materials. Triton had ordered guard patrols doubled and sent rescue crews down, and apparently Perseus had decided to go with them. What he thought he could do, Artemis didn't know, and neither did Amphitrite and Triton, so she joined them in going to the lower city and seeing what he was doing.

The guards flanked them as they swam down, acting as a buffer from the civilians and the royal family. The people called out to Triton, and he smiled and waved back at them, but Artemis could see that his smile _was_ strained. He didn't like to see his people like this—with their homes destroyed and no way to safely live. It was a redeeming quality, sure, but not one her own father had. Zeus could be utterly ruthless when it suited him, and a situation like this would grant him new bodies for his army.

"Acheran," Triton called out to one of the guardsmen he had sent down earlier, "where is Percy?"

"Further ahead, my king," the guard replied, "helping evacuate a building. I can lead you to him if you wish."

"Please, do."

They found Percy helping an older woman out of a tall tower.

"Thank you, sir," the woman said, grasping his face, "truly, thank you."

"Uhm, no problem," his face reddened slightly, "I'm just helping."

The woman swam away, and Percy turned to go back in.

"Percy!" Triton called out, and he paused, spinning around slowly to face the king.

"My king," he bowed, "how may I help you?"

"Are there many people left in here?"

"Maybe twenty, twenty-four? I've still got two floors to go through, but that's what the others told me," he shrugged, "there's a dozen buildings like this."

"We'll see about getting help to the others," Triton nodded, "how many people have you escorted out so far?"

"From this building? Eighteen," Percy told them, "in total? Maybe forty, fifty people? There are others working harder than me. I'm just doing what I can to help."

"We appreciate it, Perseus," Amphitrite said diplomatically, "though if you could tell us next time that you were going to help, rather than just leaving, it would be—"

"Sire!" A guard called out, cutting the Queen-Mother off, "there's a collapsed building with several dozen children trapped under it!"

"We're coming!" Triton responded, and he and Percy took off quickly, following the guard. Artemis and Amphitrite followed, and she cursed when she saw the scene. It was a school, sturdy enough, but one of the larger towers had collapsed onto it, blocking the entrance off. It would take time to get the equipment necessary to break through and move it this far down in the city.

"Have the heavy lifters come here immediately," Triton ordered, "Percy, there's nothing we can—"

The Bastard Prince ignored him, swimming towards the tower, studying it closely.

"Perseus, did you not hear your king?" Amphitrite demanded, and that was when he slipped underneath the tower, finding a small dip in the ground allowing him to get his feet firmly planted into the ground. "What are you doing? Have you found a way in?"

"Not quite," he grunted, before pushing upwards. There was a brief moment of nothing, and then the tower began to shift, ever so slightly, and then and inch, and another, and another. Artemis had never seen an Atlantean lift so much weight. Even for an Atlantean, he was incredibly strong. Including downward force, he had to be lifting at least…seventy, eighty tons of stone.

Percy was straining, but he was almost standing upright, and she could see most of the door to the school. "I can't hold this for long," he bit out, "you may want to evacuate the school."

Triton went to move, but Acheran stopped him.

"Sire, allow me," he said, swimming past Percy and kicking the door open. He disappeared into the school. A minute later, a stream of children rushed by, swimming past a trembling Percy, whose jaw was clenched so hard Artemis was worried it would break. A teacher ushered the next group out, and finally, Acheran swam past Percy.

"Is it clear?" He asked. Acheran nodded, but Percy didn't see it, his eyes were clenched shut. "Is it clear?"

"It's clear!" She called out, "all the children are out, Perseus!"

He heaved the tower upwards before diving forwards, floating down to the seabed after the tower crashed back down. Triton kneeled by his brother, who kept his eyes screwed shut for several more moments, before opening them slowly.

"Ow," he laughed, slightly hysterically, "that wasn't nearly as much fun as I thought it would be."

"I've never seen anyone do that before," Triton said, "Percy, you just lifted an _entire building_."

"I know," he nodded, grinning up at Triton, "that was pretty awesome."

"Are you able to do that on the surface?"

"To an extent," Percy nodded, "I'm much faster up there than I am down here. There's less pressure bearing down on me. It took some effort to blend in the older I got."

"We'll have to figure out just _how_ strong you are," Triton mused, "if you don't mind?"

"Hey, as long as I'm not being hunted or prodded with scalpels, I'm all good," Percy laughed. "Is it alright if I go looking for others that need help?"

"You don't need to rest?"

"Nah, I'll be fine," he shrugged, which also doubled as rolling his shoulders out, "I have your permission?"

"Go, brother, and keep helping," Triton said, "we'll speak later."

Percy swam off, banking to his right and diving further into the under-city. Considering how little the city guard patrolled that area, it was a bold choice, but truthfully, Percy seemed like the type of person who could handle himself.

**XXX**

"What do you think of Perseus?" Amphitrite asked her in the privacy of her study. It wasn't very often that Artemis was invited to the room, but she always learned something valuable each time, whether or not the queen mother intended her to or not.

"In what sense, your grace?" She replied politely, "I can't say I know him well enough to comment on him."

"Before he arrived, my late husband was considered the strongest among us, even by Atlantean standards," Amphitrite said, "but even he would not have been able to lift that tower alone. Why do you think he did it? What were his motives?"

"I'm afraid I don't understand," Artemis frowned, "it seemed his motive was to get the children to safety?"

"Why not wait? What purpose did that act of strength prove?"

"I truly can't speak for him, your grace," Artemis said carefully, "but he seemed to truly want the children to be safe as quick as possible."

"You were meant to spar with him, were you not?" Amphitrite suddenly asked, "perhaps you could try to get an answer from him during that?"

"I…can try, certainly," she offered, "I do not know how much I will get from him, but I will do my best, your grace."

"Wonderful," Amphitrite clapped her hands together, "he's waiting for you in the sparring room. Acheran will take you there."

Artemis held a sigh in, and instead graced the queen mother with a smile, before swimming out to find Acheran waiting outside of the study. The guard commander gave her a knowing look, before leading her towards the sparring room. Percy was already inside, arms swinging around as he played with a trident.

Well, maybe play was the wrong word. He spun it around like an expert, and with such force that she could actually spot a small layer of air around it due to how fast it was moving. It moved around his body, creating a whirlpool of displaced water that concealed him from her. The white, foamy water spread around the room.

"There's something about you," Percy's voice came from directly in front of her. Artemis lashed out with her fist, but didn't hit anything, "you're pretending to be something you're not. Most don't notice it, but I spent most of my life doing exactly what you're doing. Which begs the question—who are you, _really_?"

"I am Princess Phoebe Artemis Olympiad, Princess of Olympias," she declared, "I am here as a guest and representative of my father, the King of Olympias. Assaulting me is a diplomatic insult, and one that will not be tolerated!"

"I didn't assault you, though," his voice came from behind her next, and she whirled around with a kick that didn't make contact with anything again. "In fact, you're the one launching attack after attack. I'm just asking questions."

"You hide in a cloud," Artemis retorted, keeping her arms by her side, "why do that if not to obscure your intentions?"

"Maybe I want to read you without it working the other way around," his voice came out as a soft chuckle to her left. "And you still haven't answered my question. You told me your name. You didn't tell me who you _are_. There's a difference, you see."

"Who are _you_?" She shot back. She had been in Atlantis since she was twelve. She knew the city, the people, and had studied both in that time. None had seen her as anything other than a political hostage. But this…this _half-breed_ had shown up, and within three days had seen right through her. He was dangerous, this one.

Like a scythe through seaweed, the trident cut through the water, dispelling the foam and revealing Percy in front of her. Never before had he looked more like Poseidon, wearing the same armour, wielding a trident, and with a similar blank expression on his face.

"I'm who I've always been," he shrugged, "belonging to both worlds but fitting in neither of them. I know who I am, Princess, and I know what I stand for. Do you?"

"Of course I do!" She protested, "who are you to question me?"

"No one, really," Percy laughed, "are you always this easily flustered? I always figured princesses would be more in control of their emotions."

"I—are you mocking me?"

"Not yet, but I can if you want." Percy said, "I've been watching everyone since I arrived. As you can imagine, I'm not a very trusting person anymore. I've noticed quite a few things. Amphitrite doesn't trust me, which is fair, and she looks almost obsessively for threats to her son, but somehow, she doesn't seem to think you're one. I find that amazing. So how'd you do it?"

"I don't know what you mean," she said.

"I'm sure you don't," Percy laughed, "fine, keep your secret. I don't really care anyway. I just wanted to see what you'd do."

"You—what?" Artemis was ready to kill the half-breed, brother to the king or not. He clouds her vision, questions her integrity, and then just decides to stop antagonising her? What kind of-of _bastard_ did that? "You are insufferable!"

"So I've been told," Percy shrugged, "I've also been told that you're one of the best hand-to-hand combatants in Atlantis. That came from Chiron himself, and the old man hasn't been wrong about much before, so I don't doubt it. You were coming to give me a few pointers, weren't you? Now you can take the opportunity to take your frustration out on me. It'll be fun for the both of us."

Artemis stared at him for several long moments. After everything he had just done, was he expecting her to…to what? Walk away? Or was he really expecting that they'd fight? Did he underestimate her? Artemis wasn't sure if he actually saw her as a challenge. He wouldn't be the first. She decided the best way to prove him wrong was to do exactly what he told her to.

Artemis cracked her knuckles as a grin spread across her face.

"First lesson," she told him, "never antagonise your opponent."

Then she punched him square in the jaw.

**MMXIX**

**Another chapter down, and this time, it's the beginning of Artemis and Percy's relationship. As in, they know each other now, not that they're going to be dating or anything. So I personally subscribe to the theory that Atlantean royalty is stronger than the average Atlantean, but as a mix between human and Atlantean, Percy is stupid strong. Like, he inherited the superior genes in all regards, from both sets of genomes. I'd say he's twice as strong as the next strongest Atlantean, which would be Triton, who in turn is about a quarter stronger than Artemis. Percy holding up an entire stone tower for more than a second, especially underwater, is the most powerful display that any Atlantean would have ever seen, and word of it will quickly spread, not just in Atlantis, but to the other city-states that comprise the fallen kingdoms. As always, please review, and if you feel like it, PM me!**

**Cheers, CombatTombat **


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

_**Percy**_

"I told you she was a fierce fighter," Chiron told him when he saw the black eye that Percy was proudly sporting. One of the guards Percy had been talking to had nearly fainted when he told him that Artemis had given it to him. "I've met the man who trained her in Olympia. I've never encountered someone so brutal except on the surface."

"Yes, I know, surface dwellers are bloodthirsty," Percy replied, "I'm very much aware of that fact, Chiron. One of them killed my mother, remember?"

"That wasn't the point I was trying to make, Percy," Chiron sighed, "for the most part, the Seven Kingdoms have experienced peace for the last…three centuries, give or take. Our armies are professional, but largely unbloodied. That a man has such a capacity for violence is…unusual."

"Is it?" Percy countered, "I'm sure that there are many of them in the Atlantean Navy—even the Royal Guard, but you wouldn't know it by looking at them. Annabe—one of the surface dwellers I knew used to read about the psychopaths from back in the day. Most of them passed as normal people for most of their lives, but it only took one slip up for them to be caught."

Percy's own slip up was mentioning Annabeth, and he felt a mix of guilt and anger flow through him. He knew that he hadn't treated her fairly the last time he had seen her, placing the sins of the father on the daughter, but his grief had been so fresh and raw that he hadn't known what else to do. Part of him wanted to go back, find her, and apologise. The other part of him was fine with not seeing her again. Her father had gotten his mother killed, after all. There was really no recovering a friendship after that.

"Percy," Chiron's voice drew him from his thoughts. "You were in your mind again. Thinking of the surface world, weren't you?"

"It's not important," he deflected, "what are we learning about today?"

Chiron looked at him with a little sadness, but Percy forced a smile onto his face, and the older Atlantean sighed before pulling a set of books out.

"More translations, I'm afraid," Chiron told him, "these ones are tales of Atlantis' oldest kings, before the city ever sank. Most people see these stories as warning of the nature of the surface world, which in truth is fair, as most of the tales involve civil wars, invasions, and kidnappings."

"Sounds like most of the stories from the surface," Percy shrugged, "let's give it a read."

"Start with this one," Chiron handed him one of the texts which, like all the other books in Atlantis, had been made with waterproof material. Percy didn't really understand how they pulled it off, and was inclined to just answer it with the 'science' and leave it at that. The book was called _Tales of Acheron, Lord of Atlantis_. "Acheron was the father to the first king of Atlantis, and his conquests helped establish the city as a true power."

"Any relation to our very own Acheran?" Percy asked with a grin, taking the book.

"It's not uncommon for Atlanteans to name their children after heroes from our past," Chiron told him, "Triton was named for one, and so were you. And it's more than likely that one of the children you saved, or maybe even their parents, will name a child after you, in thanks for what you did."

"Wait, really?" He turned to his mentor, who's face was carefully blank, "on both those points, actually. I was named after an Atlantean hero?"

"Perseus Euratheid was a soldier under King Atlan, the last king of Atlantis on the surface," Chiron explained, "the last great war that was fought before the city sank was a brutal one. Atlan led the charge against the latest barbarian king invading our lands, but it was Perseus who actually slayed him, at the cost of his own life. His dying words were a request to Atlan that he never be forgotten. Years after the city sunk, decades after Perseus' death, Atlan's brother, Orin, became king. His firstborn had been named Perseus in honour of the man who had served his brother, and it became a tradition for several generations that at least one son in the royal family be called Perseus. You are the latest in a long line."

"That's…something else," Percy admitted, "I always thought I was named after the Perseus from Greek Mythology."

"Yes, I've heard that tale," Chiron laughed, "where do you think the Greeks got it from? Their tale is distorted, but from everything I've gathered, they were inspired by Atlantis' Perseus."

"Cool," Percy muttered, "shame that the surface world doesn't know one of their most vaunted heroes was actually just some dude from a city that's now underwater. That'd be funny to watch."

"Read the book, Perseus," Chiron told him, "I will deal with my paperwork while you do so. If you come across any words or phrases you don't understand, you know what to do."

Percy snorted, but settled into what he had designated as his reading nook and opened the book. It started with some pretty standard Atlantean prose, venerating Acheron for his leadership and explaining how his story was but one of many and all that. Percy had read several books like it at this point, but nothing so old. Most of the things he had read were dated to after the Fall, and involved the royal family in the decades after they learned to live in the seas. But soon, the story settled into the main plotline, and Percy nearly choked as he read it.

In his youth, Acheron had been friends with the son of the Lord of Olympia, Zethus, but when they got older, their two cities were on the brink of war. Zethus' father had Acheron's father killed, and the two men's friendship was irreparably ruined. Olympia was a close contender to Atlantis when it came to martial prowess, and the two nations warred for years and years, Acheron and Zethus encountering each other on the battlefield time after time, but neither being able to kill each other. Despite their status as enemies, and the fact that they had fought and killed each other's people, the two men couldn't abandon the friendship they once had entirely, and it resulted in a war the lasted their entire lives. Until one day, when Acheron's son, Orion, found Zethus on the field of battle, and killed him in a duel. While Acheron was distraught that his old friend had been killed, by his son no less, he was also glad in a way, because it meant that he no longer had to worry about having to take his life himself. Acheron died months later, slain by Zethus' son during an ambush, and Orion would avenge him by conquering Olympia and crowning himself King of Atlantis, and Lord of the Seven Kingdoms.

Percy briefly wondered if this was how his relationship with Annabeth was going to be, a cycle of hate and anger passed down along the generations based on the actions of a single person. Yes, he hated Fredrick Chase because he was a scheming bastard, but what role did Annabeth have in that? She had always supported Percy when they were younger, and while their friendship had mellowed a little the last two years of school, they had still been incredibly close. He closed the book the moment he finished it, skipping the last few pages which were just illustrations.

"Percy?" Chiron looked up from his paperwork, "are you finished already?"

"What? Oh, yeah, good read," he nodded, "not enough pictures in my opinion."

Chiron shook his head fondly. "Did you look at the illustrations? It helps with some aspects of the stories."

Percy sighed but opened the book up at the end again, glancing at the drawings. One was an interpretation of what Acheron looked like based on his tomb, long lost to the Atlanteans, while another one was a picture of what they imagined Zethus to look like. The last one was a sketch of the hill where Orion killed Zethus, and Percy almost closed the book before studying the image closer. It looked…it looked oddly familiar, but he couldn't place _why_. He was being reminded of Annabeth, but for the life of him he couldn't imagine what it was about the hill that was doing so. He stared at it a moment longer before his eyes widened.

"The Acropolis," he said aloud.

"What?"

"This is the Acropolis!" He exclaimed, "this hill where Orion killed Zethus, it looks exactly like the Acropolis of Athens. Annabeth showed me a depiction of what archaeologists thought the Acropolis looked like in the fourth millennium BC, because it was one of those things that she really liked, and this is almost identical. There's a bit more detail here, like this series of huts, but… this is almost a perfect match of the thing she showed me, like two years ago!"

"Is it?" Chiron moved over towards him, "that's odd…all our tales speak of the fight between Orion and Zethus happening on the Old Atlantean continent. If it truly happened in _Greece_, that means this war involved more than just Atlantis and Olympia. There's no reason for it to have travelled so far."

"Are there, I don't know, records or something that we can check? Something to cross reference this story with?" Percy asked, "Atlantis keeps meticulous records, you told me that."

"There's the royal archives, but I'm afraid I don't have access to those anymore," Chiron told him, "you may be allowed in, but you'd need to ask Triton for permission. But what would come from it?"

"Well like you just said, it could be the war was fought on a completely different continent," Percy said, "and there may be other factors that aren't accounted for. I'm curious, and have nothing better to do. What's the harm?"

"There is none, I suppose," Chiron agreed, "but first, you should read these other books. They may help your studies."

Percy glanced at the pile of books. It wasn't a suggestion—Chiron was telling him what to do. He picked up the next book, a biography of Orion, incidentally, and began reading, even though his mind was on other things. Chiron hadn't led him astray so far, so he at least owed it to him to continue listening to his advice.

**XXX**

When Percy finally got access to the archives, it came with a stipulation most likely engineered by Amphitrite that he would be escorted around by Artemis, who didn't seem particularly pleased to be given the duty. She glared at him for the first thirty minutes as he searched for the right documents, but as he began to get invested, her glare turned to a look of curiosity.

"What are you even searching for?" She asked him, after the twelfth document dated from the reign of Acheron. "Acheron is a…controversial topic in Olympia. Some decry him as a warmongering butcher, others praise him as a unifier of our people."

"I'm looking for evidence," he told her, "the copy of the _Tales of Acheron_ that Chiron gave me had an illustration of the hill where Orion killed Zethus, and it looks like a location on the surface world. I'm trying to see if it really happened there, or if it's just a coincidence."

"And why does that matter?"

"Because Athens is not near Atlantis," he explained, "I want to know what Atlanteans were doing so far from a war that took place on their own continent."

"Wars often travel far and wide," Artemis shrugged, "why would it be unusual for a war to occur elsewhere?"

"Because it wasn't common back _then_," Percy replied, placing another document aside, "wars were not fought overseas six thousand years ago. _That_ is a relatively recent development on the surface world."

"But what would you do with the information? It would not change the past."

"No, but it would help us understand it better," Percy said with a shrug of his own, "I don't know about you, but when I'm taught about my history, I'd like it to be _true._"

Artemis stared at him like she was just seeing him for the first time, but he didn't really notice. The document he was reading had more information than any of the others. It was a transcription of a logistical report from the aftermath of Orion's duel with Zethus, and spoke of casualties, prisoners, and material gained after the battle.

"You're shitting me," he muttered under his breath in English. Artemis stared at him curiously, so he switched back to Atlantean, "this document says that ninety Amazonian warriors were captured and then ransomed back to their queen, Hippolyta. This is something else."

"Amazonians?" Artemis practically shoved him aside, "we were always told they were just myths."

"I was told the same thing about Atlantis in school, but seeing how I could literally breath underwater, I kind of disregarded that," Percy grinned, "I'm sure they existed once long ago. The tales had to come from somewhere, right?"

"I suppose," Artemis conceded, "there are tales about Atlantis on the surface world, no?"

"There are."

"Will you tell me some of them?" She asked him.

"Well," Percy began, "the first thing about Atlantis is that none of the surface dwellers can really agree where it is…"

**MMXIX**

**A bit of a filler chapter, but it serves a purpose nonetheless. I decided to have Percy become really interested in Atlantean history because he's learning about his father's people, and what better way than going through their history? Having the duel between Orion and Zethus take place on the Acropolis was just something that made sense to me, especially with that little teaser about the Amazons. We're six chapters in now, and I'm thinking the next chapter is going to jump a few years into the future, to a point where Percy is more comfortable in his role as an Atlantean. The end of this chapter also has the beginning of Percy and Artemis becoming **_**friends**_**, which will continue in the next chapter. As always, let me know what you think, by leaving a review or sending me a PM!**

**Cheers, CombatTombat**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

_**Percy**_

"I yield!" Captain Acheran called out, and Percy stopped his blow an inch from his face, just before it landed. It had taken him some time to adjust to movement underwater, but his control, like everything else, had gotten better with time. "Whoever decided that you and Lady Artemis should train together should be punished, my prince. You've quickly become one of our best fighters."

"Experience counts for more than any skill, Acheran, you know this," Percy told him, holding his hand out for the guard commander. "And you still have a vast amount more experience than I do."

"Not for much longer, if you continue training as hard as you do," Acheran laughed, as he took Percy's hand, "but there's great honour in losing to one of the royal family. Are you off to the archives now, my prince?"

"Not this time," Percy grinned, "Rhode has decided that I'm to be her escort in the city, along with Artemis. And afterwards I'm to join the King for his meeting with the Council."

"I don't envy you that, Percy," Acheran said, "good luck."

"I'll need it, I think," he muttered, before swimming out towards his room in the palace. Rather than the moderately sized guest room he had been given at first, Percy was now roomed in a massive chamber fit for royalty, which he supposed he really was. The Atlanteans didn't really seem to care that he wasn't born from Poseidon's marriage. He was a Prince of the Realm, and that was good enough for them.

He changed from the sparring clothes he had been wearing into the orange-and-green scale-mail that he had been wearing for years now. He had put on more muscle since entering Atlantis, and he was pretty sure that he weighed about a hundred fifty-pounds more than when he was last on the surface, but it was just his muscles adapting to the pressure, and he hadn't actually increased much in size. By the Atlantean weighing standards, he was just over twenty-four and a half stones, which by Chiron's estimates was about three hundred and forty-five pounds. That made him one big boy, something his mom had always told him he would end up being. The brief thought didn't make him as sad as it would've before.

Several of the guards bowed their heads as he passed, others flashed him a smile. Several more didn't react to him—those were Amphitrite's handpicked guards, and they mimicked their mistress by treating him respectfully, but coolly, often keeping their distance, not talking to him unless they absolutely had to. He was as nice to them as he was to anyone else, but it was kind of annoying that they treated him so distantly. He hadn't done anything wrong.

Rhode and Artemis practically ambushed him as he left his room, his younger sister flinging herself towards him after he closed the door.

"Percy, Percy, Percy, guess what!" She exclaimed, floating upside down above him. Artemis watched with an amused expression on her face, though Percy didn't fail to notice that there were a few more guards than usual with them.

"Rhode, Rhode, Rhode, what?" He replied, flashing her a smile, as he grabbed her and tilted her back to the proper orientation.

She was six years old now, and easily the most excitable person in the palace. Born just a few months before their father died, Rhode only knew that Poseidon Thalassa had looked like her older half-brother, and that he would have loved her fiercely. She knew more, of course, the official things about him that they all knew, but it had been left to Triton and Amphitrite to tell her about the man their father had been, rather than the king.

"We're going to the markets today!" She told him, beginning to float upwards again. Percy grabbed her again and pulled her down.

"Are we now?" He said, "you know we can only go there if you don't float away. The surface dwellers would get you then."

Rhode gasped, and pulled herself close to him.

"You wouldn't let that happen, would you?" She asked him with wide eyes, "the surface people are _mean_."

"You know I wouldn't let it happen," he ruffled her hair, "but you have to stick close to me, okay?"

"Okay!" She chirped, before grabbing his hand and pulling him along, "come on! We need to get to the markets soon!"

"You heard the Princess," he said to Artemis and the guards, "we have a marketplace to get to."

The swim to the marketplace was fairly uneventful, with Rhode chatting away about all the things she had done, or the things she wanted to buy at the marketplace. Percy wasn't entirely sure she knew what was even _in_ the marketplace, but he wasn't going to tell her otherwise. The guards fanned out around them in a circle, except for Artemis, who swam on the other side of Rhode, occasionally throwing in her own opinion on the things the little girl bought up.

The market was busy as usual, but there was a moment of awed silence when they realised that members of the Royal Family were present. Then it was business as usual, for the most part. Some people continued watching them, eyes wide as Percy let Rhode lead him through the stalls. She stopped to look at everything, and Percy knew that she would be in love with it by the end of the day.

"Percy, look!" Rhode said, pointing at a tiara made of polished Gaia stone, "we have to get that!"

"It's a bit too big for you, guppy," he said, "but you'll grow into it one day."

"No, not for _me_," Rhode told him like it was obvious, "for Artemis!"

"What?" The Princess of Olympia choked out. Percy held a laugh in.

"It'd look so good on you!" Rhode insisted, before turning back to Percy, "please, please, please, can we get it for Artemis?"

She was looking at him with wide, hopeful eyes, and it was the damnedest thing he could do to try and reject her.

"Alright," he let out a deep breath, "but this is the only thing we're getting, okay?"

"Oh. Okay," she said, a little downtrodden, but Percy wasn't going to buy her everything she wanted. She was six, after all. "But you'll get it?"

"I'll get it right now, if you want me to," he told her, "or do you want to look around more first?"

"Let's get it! We need to give it to Artemis!"

Percy gave her another smile before swimming over to the stall. The shopkeeper didn't seem to know whether to bow to him or not, so Percy just smiled at her and pointed at the tiara.

"How much for that?" He asked.

"It's normally fifty crowns," she told him, "but…you can have it for free."

"No, I really can't," he said, as a guard handed him a bag with money in it, he pulled two large gold coins from it, placing them on the stall top. "Why would you give me it for free?"

"My son," she explained as she placed the tiara in a small box before handing it over to him, "he was trapped in his school after an earthquake two years ago. I was so worried for him, and that he'd be trapped in there for hours before they could get him out, but you…you lifted the tower holding him in. He was out less than an hour after he was trapped. I… thought I could thank you by giving this to you for free."

"I did what was right," Percy said, as he felt his face flush, "I'm glad he got back to you so quickly. Thank you for the tiara."

"Thank you," the shopkeeper replied with a shy smile, before handing him a slip. He glanced at it quickly, before turning to return to Rhode and Artemis. The latter was watching him closely, a slight frown on her face.

"Did you get it?" Rhode asked, "and why did that lady's face turn red? What did you say to her?"

"It's not important," he told her, but Rhode pouted at him, "alright, fine, a couple years ago, just after I arrived here, there was an earthquake. You were young, so you might not remember. A school's entrance was covered by a fallen tower, and it would have taken hours to get them out, so I…lifted the tower, letting the kids out. Her son was one of them. She was thanking me for it."

"Was she now?" Artemis asked, glancing back towards the woman. "And the slip she gave you?"

"I don't know," he shrugged, "I didn't look at it."

"May I?" Artemis asked, and Percy handed it over without question. She looked at the slip before looking back at him with an incredulous look. "You didn't read this?"

"No? Why?"

"You're oblivious," Artemis laughed, and handed it back to him, "it's her address."

"What? Oh. _Oh_ okay. That's…new." He felt another blush on his face, "oh, right, here's the tiara."

He held the box out for Artemis, who took it gingerly. Rhode beamed up at her, and the princess took the tiara out of the box, placing it on her head. Percy had to admit, his sister had been right—it looked stunning on Artemis, matching beautifully with her green suit, and emphasising her silver eyes.

"You're so pretty!" Rhode exclaimed, "Percy, don't you agree?"

"I do," he said, "she looks very pretty."

This time, the blush took Artemis' face, and she glanced away from him.

"My prince," one of the guards swam close, "the King requests your presence. I am to escort you back to the palace."

"What of Rhode?"

"The king made no mention of the princess," the guard said, "but your presence is urgently required."

"I'll stay with her," Artemis told him, "and I'll make sure she gets into no trouble."

"Thank you," he smiled at her, "oh, and Artemis?"

She glanced at him, curiosity brimming in her eyes.

"The tiara does make you look pretty."

**XXX**

Triton didn't spend any time with formalities once Percy arrived. The council was assembled, and Acheran stood nearby in full battle armour, the highly advanced set designed for war, not the almost archaic armour the guard commander normally wore.

"We have an issue," Triton told him, "our sensors have picked up a surface-dwelling vehicle approaching the edge of our territory. Scans indicate that it is a science craft, designed to take footage of the seabed. If they get any closer…"

"They risk finding Atlantis," Percy nodded, "you want a non-violent solution."

"I do, but my advisors have given me nothing short of destroying the craft." Triton said, "I was hoping you may have an idea?"

Percy was silent for a moment. Several different scenarios ran through his mind, but there was only one that ended well for Atlantis.

"There's something I can do," he said carefully, "but I'll have to leave the city for some time. It could be days. It could be months. It could even be years."

"Why?"

"As far as the surface dwellers are concerned," Percy said, "I'm the only one of my kind, maybe with another in the form of Chiron. They might think him to be my father, or something like that. If I purposefully get caught by the submarine, I'll be able to lead them away. I'm far more interesting that whatever they think they'll find on the surface."

"Are you sure, brother?" Triton placed a hand on his shoulder, "you don't have to do this."

"It's really the only thing I can think of, Triton," Percy sighed, "I don't want any deaths that I could have prevented on my conscience. I owe it to you and to the city to keep them away. So I'll do exactly that."

"May the currents guide you to safety, brother," Triton told him, "neither I, not Atlantis, will forget that you've done this for us. The ship is to the south."

Percy just gave him a tight smile, before swimming out of the palace and upwards, letting him orient himself. Once he knew he was heading southwards, he took off, a stream of foam and bubbles forming in his wake as he kicked his legs hard. He slowed himself down once he was far from the city, and stayed stock still, simply listening. His hearing had always been acute, but that was because he was designed for living under the water, where sound travelled far easier.

It didn't take long to pick up the sound of a propeller cutting through the ocean, pushing a decent sized vessel along, judging by the volume of the noise. He swam slowly towards it, and after twenty minutes, found it. It was, as he guessed, a decently big submersible. The name _Nautilus_ was stamped on the side, as well as _Solace Industries_ beneath that. Percy knew of them—big company from Detroit, fingers in pretty much every pie. He swam to the front, which had a large, thick glass dome, and simply floated in front of it. Within minutes, men and women were behind it, staring at him in surprise. One of them waved at him. Percy just folded his arms in response. Then he began swimming slowly past them, back the way they had come. A glance over his shoulder showed that the vessel was turning to follow him, and he let out a little sigh of relief.

Now he just had to lead them away.

**MMXIX**

**So we meet Percy's half-sister, Rhode, and see some interaction between Percy and Artemis, before Percy leaves to draw the surface dwellers away from Atlantis. **_**This**_** is the sort of 'beginning' of Percy's superhero arc. Because he's away, he's going to run into situations he's not really prepared for. As always, leave a review and/or send me a PM!**

**Cheers, CombatTombat**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

_**Percy**_

The third day of leading the submarine away from Atlantis, Percy was attacked by a giant squid. Or rather, Percy _attacked_ a giant squid when it attacked the submarine. He had been doing the same things he had been doing for three days, leading the submarine in a looping, random pattern, making it seem like he was trying to throw them, but not doing a good job of it.

He had been floating lazily immediately before, which was probably his first mistake, just letting the scientists watch him in his 'natural habitat' or whatever term they were using. He was certain that they were videoing him as well, but he never outwardly reacted in any way that would look bad. He hadn't noticed the squid creeping upwards, not until a tentacle smacked him several hundred yards away.

Percy's vision unblurred quickly, and he had to blink twice to make sure that the massive squid wrapping its tentacles around the submarine as it pulled it downwards.

"Oh you've got to be kidding me," he swore under his breath, before taking off towards it. The scientists inside had been knocked around, but they didn't seem too hurt. Percy swam upwards before diving back down, slamming into the squid, jarring the tentacles loose. It still hadn't let go, and Percy was starting to consider something drastic.

He placed a hand on its side and began thinking _really_ hard about letting go. It took a few moments, but the squid did exactly that, its tentacles slipping away from the submarine. Percy kept his hand on as he changed his train of thoughts to peace, and simply swimming away, letting the submarine be. It took another minute, but then the squid began moving away, squirming back into the deep where it had come from.

Percy let out a deep breath before moving towards the viewing deck of the submarine, almost pressing against the glass to see if the humans inside were okay. Some of them were seated against the hull, with another moving between them to check on them. The scientist that Percy saw the most moved towards the glass, before pointing upwards. He hesitated but, in the end, nodded, and slowly began drifting upwards. The submarine followed him, and after nearly an hour, the ship had breached the surface.

Percy waited a moment before he did the same, and when he did, several of the scientists were on the deck, gripping onto a length of rope tightly. He rolled his eyes before clambering onto the submarine. Surface dwellers had no idea how to handle water.

"You're him…" one of the scientists said, "you're the water-breather! You saved us."

"I didn't let you die," Percy replied, "there's a very big difference. Your ship doesn't seem too damaged, but when you're funded by someone like Solace Industries, I guess having a strong hull counts for something. What do you want?"

"We _were_ searching for Atlantis, but when we encountered you, the CEO of our company changed our mission to follow and study you."

"Atlantis is a fairy tale," Percy said, rolling his eyes for dramatic effect, "I've combed the ocean for two years, and the only thing I've ever found are shipwrecks. If there's an Atlantis, it's not in these oceans."

"Where'd you get your…armour? Clothes? What is that, actually?" Another scientist asked.

"Found a shipwreck in the Mediterranean," he shrugged, "everything in it was waterproof, so I took it. Human clothes don't last long in the sea."

"So you're not human?" The first man asked him again.

"I'm half human," he shrugged, "and half something else. I'm sure there's a common ancestor somewhere down the line, or my parents would never have had me."

"Solace Genetics could run some tests," one of them offered, a woman probably close to Percy's age.

"Yeah, no," he shook his head, "the last time a multi-billion-dollar company wanted to test me, they sent mercenaries to try and take me by force. I'll take a hard pass."

"So what are you doing?" The second scientist asked him. An older woman, and clearly one who would have this conversation memorised and transcribed after it was over, "is this what you've been doing for two years? Swimming around the ocean, fighting giant squids?"

"I also bartend in Hawaii," he deadpanned, "I live a busy life. Now, if you excuse me, I'm late for my shift at Big Tony's."

He tipped backwards into the water, letting himself sink down several dozen yards before taking off, heading towards the east. They'd have readings on him and would probably be able to track him for a while, so Percy needed to avoid Atlantis while that was going on. Now he needed to decide _where_ he could go. Most major cities would be out of the question—Percy had no doubt that his face had been plastered across television screens after the world found out what he really was, which meant he'd have to go to low-key places. Maybe the far east? Percy knew whaling was a big thing around Japan…and it would be irresponsible of him to allow sea-life to be hunted for personal gain.

The more he thought about it, the more appealing it became. There was pretty much nothing that whaling ships could do against him. He could stop them for a few months, maybe long enough for them to decide it just wasn't profitable to keep it up. And maybe…maybe he could talk to Triton about keeping up the pressure. Surface dwellers wouldn't know the difference if the Atlantean in question was never seen.

It wasn't a bad idea, actually. If he spent a few weeks, maybe a few months, in the Pacific, then it was more than likely that the media would get involved, drawing even more attention away from Atlantis. And if he pissed off the whaling industry…well, he would count that as a win too. Maybe, if he was lucky, he'd have some fun too.

**XXX**

It took him another six days to get to the Sea of Japan, but that was mostly because he kept drifting around, not really trying to reach it in record time. It was also some stupid luck that the first ship he encountered was a whaling ship chasing a pod.

Their panic hit him before anything else, a wall of fear and anxiety, and Percy began to feel a bubbling anger build up in him. Whales were smarter than most animals, and they _knew_ what was happening to them. They also knew it was likely one of their pod might not escape with them. Percy couldn't let that happen. He wouldn't. He had been helpless before, but not this time.

_This, _he could stop.

He burst up from the water in a massive geyser slamming onto the deck of the whaling ship hard enough to dent it. The whalers cried out in surprise, and one of them tumbled backwards, letting out a shrill shriek when he saw Percy. Percy ignored them all, instead scanning the deck of the ship. There were two harpoon guns, both at the bow, and they were currently angled into the water, though their users had their focus on Percy.

He walked to the first one and yanked the harpoon out of the front, which also had the added bonus of stripping the mechanisms inside the gun. But he didn't stop there. He grabbed the barrel and bent it downwards. The whalers were crying out in protest, but he wasn't listening to them. He understood that for many of these men, it was just a job. But for the whales they hunted, it was life or death, and if Percy had to choose between the surface world and the ocean, he knew now that he'd choose the ocean every time. The surface world just took, and took, and took what it wanted. Atlantis—the ocean—had only ever _given_ to him.

He turned to the other harpoon, but it was now pointed directly _at_ him. There were three men behind it, shouting warning at him, not that he could understand them. He cocked his head to the side as he considered his options. Before his time in Atlantis, he would've been cautious about this, but that was before his body had experienced the crushing weight of the depth. Now, his skin was harder than steel, and there were very few things that could actually hurt him. A harpoon being launched out of a cannon could be one of the few things that could do it.

But the hesitation passed him quickly. If Percy left the harpoon, they'd keep hunting. He shifted his feet slightly, the deck buckling a little more. The warning cries became louder, but once he was in position, there was nothing they could do. He shot forward, faster than they could follow, and tore the harpoon gun clean off the ship, the man using it leaping to the side to avoid it. Percy tossed the whole device into the water, before turning to the bridge of the ship. There were several guns pointed at him, as well as several cameras. He gave them a lazy salute before leaping back into the water.

The whales were several hundred yards away, and he swam up to them. The largest one of the pod, a blue whale, approached him and he placed his hand on the side of her head. A series of images rushed through his mind, but one kept appearing in the forefront of the whale's mind. It was another man like him, wearing the same orange-and-green scale-mail, swimming alongside the whale, speaking but not being heard. Percy blinked several times. The man looked a lot like him. Same eyes, same hair, but he had a beard. It took him a few moments to figure out that this was his _father_. The whale thought that he was his own father. This whale had known Percy's dad, which was more than he could say.

"No," he said softly, rubbing his hand along the whale's flank, "I'm not him. I'm my own man."

She didn't understand him, of course, but it helped Percy to say it aloud. He was so deep in his own thoughts that he didn't notice the two Atlanteans, hiding several hundred yards away, watching him. He didn't notice the glance they shared.

**XXX**

_**Triton**_

"He's like his father," Amphitrite murmured, studying the screen closely, "impulsive, stubborn, but with a good heart."

"Mother, I do believe that's the first compliment you've given him," Triton teased her.

"Yes, yes, I was wrong, I acknowledge it," she waved him off, "but I see now that he is simply a good person. No sinister motives. Chiron taught him well."

"Chiron taught him how to be Atlantean," Triton shook his head, "his mother taught him how to be a good person."

"Yes. _Sally Jackson_." His mother's face twisted into a scowl, and Triton resisted the urge to sigh.

"It was over two decades ago, mother," he reminded her, "and it was before he married you."

"It was," she agreed, "that does not mean I have to like it."

"I didn't ask you to," he said, "and neither did Percy, or father. It happened. We need to move forward from it."

"My king," Acheran called from outside the door, "Lady Artemis and Lord Chiron are here. Shall I send them in?"

"Yes please, captain," Triton replied, and a moment later, the door slid open, and the duo entered, bowing before him. "Thank you for coming on such short notice."

"We live to serve, my king," Chiron told him, "and how may we?"

"As you know, Percy departed from the city rather suddenly a week and a half ago," Triton began, "what you did not know was that he did so in order to lead a surface-dwelling submersible away from the city. We believe that he's decided to make his presence felt on the other side of the world, in order to draw attention further away from this region."

"What do you wish of us?" Artemis asked, a frown on her face as she studied the still image of Percy on the deck of the whaling ship he had attacked. The picture was frozen on his mocking salute towards the ship's captain.

"Chiron, you've spent more time on the surface than any other Atlantean," Triton said, "would you be able to assist him?"

"I could, yes, but if I may offer some insight, my king?" Chiron replied carefully. Triton's brow furrowed slightly, but he nodded. "Percy intends to draw attention from Atlantis, and I believe he intends to do so by acting as if it doesn't exist. If he were met by one or more people like him, and this interaction was _seen_, it may serve to only inspire more searches for our city."

Triton…hadn't accounted for that, truthfully.

"Furthermore," Chiron continued, "I've been caught on film with Percy before. That would only serve to spark interest even more."

"You travelled with Poseidon when you were both younger, did you not?" His mother spoke up. Triton glanced at her briefly, before turning his gaze back to Chiron.

"I did, my queen," he said simply.

"And that included the ocean that Perseus is currently in?"

"Somewhat, yes."

"Were there any areas—islands or caves—that stood out to you?" He was beginning to get an understanding of his mother's plan.

"Perhaps…I'd have to go search through some of my old documents, but I believe I could find a hidden location nearby to aid him from." It seemed that Triton wasn't the only one to understand, either.

"Respectfully, but where do I come in?" Artemis asked.

"Well if Chiron can't assist Perseus directly, perhaps you can, Artemis?" Amphitrite offered, "not side-by-side, but perhaps as a messenger of sorts? Passing on information back and forth."

Triton barely withheld a flinch. It was a degrading job to offer a princess from another of the city-states, but his mother had been annoyed with Artemis' father, who had—finally—rejected the offer of marriage between the two, saying that he was entertaining another option for her. Triton's own spies in Olympia had revealed that the other option was none other than Percy, which didn't really surprise him, but from everything he knew, Artemis didn't know that his brother was her potential suitor. Neither did Percy, for that matter.

"I'd be more than happy to do so," Artemis smiled gracefully, but Triton had known her long enough to pick up the flare of anger in her eyes, "if assisting Prince Perseus is what is required of me, then it's what I shall do."

"I'll have a word with Artemis, I think," Triton spoke up. Chiron bowed and made his way out of the room. His mother didn't move. "Alone."

Her eyes widened a fraction, before she too gave him a stiff bow and left.

"You don't have to do this," he told her, "I can send someone else. My mother is…difficult, at times, but she does not have the authority to order you to do anything you do not wish to."

"I know she intends it as an insult, Triton," Artemis told him, "but I will do so anyway, and I will not let it be one. If Percy truly needs help, then I am more than happy to give it to him. He is my…friend. I don't have many of those."

"I understand," he nodded. And he did. The life of royalty was not always an easy one. People looked to them for leadership in all matters, and there was always a respectful distance between those in of the high blood and anyone else. Percy hadn't cared about any of that. He talked to the common people the same way he talked to Triton. Everyone was equal in his eyes, and it had been a refreshing change of pace to have someone who wasn't so flustered by his position. "Thank you. Percy's decision is…well, it's very in-character for him."

"What was he doing?" Artemis asked him, tilting her head towards the screen, "and where did you get that footage?"

"Chiron has been helping us access surface dweller networks," he explained, "this footage was sent to one of the surface nations, with a formal complaint about how one of their people attacked a commercial ship. A _whaling _ship." He spat the last word like a curse. "They stalk the seas for whales to kill, which are then torn apart for their meat, blubber, and oil. Percy removed their ability to hunt. I believe he intends to go after others."

The look of horror that spread across Artemis face mimicked the one he and his mother had made when Chiron had explained exactly _what_ whaling entailed on the surface world. Truthfully, his initial instinct had been to mobilise the Atlantean Navy and sink any ships doing so. It wasn't that Atlanteans didn't use the meat of sea-creatures—they did, but they were also careful to only use what they needed, and even then, most of their sustenance came from smaller and more populous creatures, as well as agriculture.

"I've changed my mind," Artemis growled, "I'll help him destroy those vile ships myself."

"Peace, Artemis," he shook his head, "one day, we will let the surface dwellers know that we exist, and that we will not tolerate their abuse of our creatures. But not today."

"I understand," Artemis nodded slowly, "may I go join Chiron?"

"You may. Good luck, Artemis, and give my regards to Percy." He told her. She bowed to him and exited the room.

Triton was left alone in his office. He took several deep breaths before making his way to his desk and pulling out his communicator. He thumbed the activation rune and waited.

"_This is Kym_," the voice came through.

"Terminate your operation and return to the city," he instructed, "I expect your report when you return."

"_By your command_," Kym replied, "_It'll be several days. We must travel deep._"

"There is no rush. Chiron and Artemis are moving to assist him by my word. He'll respond well to them."

The line clicked dead, and he returned the communicator to his desk, before his gaze inevitably went back to Percy.

He loved his brother, something that had surprised him, and his good nature was infectious. When Triton enacted his plans, he truly hoped that Percy would appreciate them.

**MMXIX**

**Another chapter down, this one a little longer than normal. I think Percy targeting whalers is very in character for him, even if we just account for his canon personality. It's also going to bring him to the attention of the world again, which is his goal. Sending Chiron and Artemis is essentially going to establish his 'hero' team. They'll serve both as support and direct companions over the following arc, which will also introduce some new characters. As always, feel free to leave a review or send me a PM.**

**Cheers, CombatTombat**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

_**Percy**_

The surface dwellers were learning. The moment Percy struck, the other ships in the fleet began closing around his target. A harpoon glanced off his shoulder, fired with more force than normal. If he hadn't turned, it probably would've speared through him, rather than simply tearing some of the scales off his armour. He slid along the deck, jamming his foot underneath the barrel of a harpoon gun, sending it flying off its mount. He rolled over and punched his fist clean through the deck, tearing up a section of it which he used as protection against the flurry of bullets being launched at him. They didn't pierce his skin, but if the calibre was large enough, it could cut him. Plus, it _stung_ getting shot.

Enough damage down, he flung himself back into the water, swimming down several hundred metres before glancing up. The ship would be damaged enough it'd have to go back to port, but there were dozens more in these waters, and he was all alone. Even now, the ships flanked the damaged one. Once it was safely back in port, they'd return to go hunting. And that was just _this_ group. There were others out there, hunting while he was distracted. He supposed their logic was that he couldn't be everywhere at once. And they were right.

"Did you have fun doing that?" A voice came from behind him. Percy whirled around and found himself face to face with Artemis, leaning back against an outcropping of coral.

"What are you doing here?" He asked, before frowning, "how did you even _know_ I was here?"

"Chiron found you," she told him, "using the news networks of the surface. I'm supposed to take you to him."

"Okay, so that's why you're here?"

"No, I'm here because Triton asked Chiron and I to help you with this…crusade, yes that's the word, that you're undertaking. One I must say I support whole-heartedly," she explained, glancing up at the ships above them. "Why don't you sink them? A strike below the waterline and it's over."

"Insurance would cover that," he explained. At her blank look, he went further into it. "Companies normally take some form of financial protection. If I sank their ships and they didn't see me do it, they'd assume it was a rock, or something like that. They'd pay for the ships to be repaired, or pay back part of the cost, and then they'd be out again. By doing this visibly, they can't actually get insurance on it, because there's no policy against angry Atlanteans."

"I see," Artemis said, "and you enjoy causing them terror."

"I mean, yeah, a little," he conceded, "they get a taste of what it's like for the whales they hunt. At least I'm not killing them."

"More's the shame. Follow me, it's a bit of swim to where I stashed my vehicle." She told him, before swimming off. He shook his head before taking off after her.

Her vehicle was a small Atlantean craft, powered by some ungodly source that made everything work in the underwater kingdom. Chiron told him it was a left-over resource from the Trident of Neptune, but Percy personally believed that it was probably some ultra-rare resource found at the bottom of the ocean, where Atlantis was located. He clambered in beside her, and she began steering it further east. They probably travelled for two, maybe three, hours before she dove lower, into a small trench. She navigated the ship into a cave-mouth, which then led back upwards, into a, unsurprisingly, a cave. The top of the sub popped open, and Percy climbed out, looking around.

"Damn," he whistled, "this cave is bitchin'."

"Volcano, actually," Chiron said from a side-tunnel, "long dormant, but it'll suit our needs."

"How'd you even find this place?" Percy asked him, "and why are we here?"

"Well I imagine that you've once more been sleeping in the ocean, so I decided to find you somewhere both wet and dry. It also allowed me to set up my things," Chiron said, "come with me, Percy, and I'll show you what gifts I bring from your brother."

Percy glanced at Artemis, who motioned for him to follow Chiron, so he padded after the older man. The magma tunnel turned into a large chamber, where several tables were already in place, Atlantean computer terminals placed over them, cables leading to a generator powering it all. Several mannequins with spare sets of his, Artemis', and Chiron's scale-mail were included.

"Wow, okay, you did not skimp out on the tech, Chiron," Percy said, "but again, why are you guys even here?"

"Triton saw what you were doing to the whalers," his mentor explained, "he did not want you doing it alone. I have access to most sources of information on the surface, save for some _very_ secure organizations networks. I'll be able to give you any information you may need. Artemis will be accompanying you as you… what's the phrase? 'Wreck' these whalers?"

"Okay, first, please never use 'wreck' like that ever again," Percy put his hands up, "and second, wasn't the goal to keep Atlantis hidden?"

"Things have changed since you came to Atlantis, Percy," Chiron told him, "people not entirely human have made their presence known. You knew of some of them when you were younger, but they've become far more active. For example, this man—" a screen came to life, showing a masked man wearing what was essentially a onesie with a golden lightning bolt in the middle of the chest, and a flowing cap behind him as he floated several yards above the ground, "in San Francisco has been fighting crime. There're rumours of a duo in New York doing the same thing. A woman in New Orleans is reported to—"

"To be a witch," Percy finished, "I know the story. A group of people tried to lynch her when she was thirteen, Chiron. What's your point?"

"My point is that with all these…these _meta humans_ out there, no one will think twice about there being two people with similar abilities. This way, at the very least, you don't have to be alone."

"You don't have to do this, you know," he said to Artemis, "either of you, for that matter. I don't want you dropping your lives for me."

"Percy," Artemis said softly, "you're an idiot. We _chose_ to help you. Neither of us were forced to do this. Now, are you going to keep protesting our help, or will you accept it and move on?"

"Well I guess I don't really have a choice now, do I?" He smiled at her sardonically, "where do we go from here?"

"Well, I've been studying the Humans news," Chiron began, "and there are other things we can do than attack whalers, as honourable as it is."

"Like?"

"Like pirates. Terrorists. Smugglers. There's a whole society of people who need to be dealt with, but the proper authorities seem unable to, Percy," Chiron told him, "and it may generate some good will amongst the surface dwellers. Right now, they're torn between you being a hero or an eco-terrorist. If we tipped the scale more towards 'hero', it could make things easier for you."

"Easy how?" It was Artemis who asked this with a frown, "Percy's royalty, technically. Does that not make him exempt from most laws?"

"Uh, no, it doesn't work like that up here, Princess," he answered with a shrug, "and I'm a bastard prince from a kingdom that pretty much all surface dwellers think is a myth. Unless Triton goes and reveals Atlantis to the surface world, I'm just some super-strong freak to them."

"They never knew you were royalty?" Artemis frowned, "but you knew you were, didn't you?"

"I never really…considered myself Atlantean until about a year and a half ago, Artemis," he confessed, "I never really identified with either culture for a long time."

"Really? What changed your mind?" She asked him, her head tilted to the side.

_You did_, he wanted to say. _You helped me accept myself for what I really am._ Instead of that, however, he just said,

"I guess I just realised who I really was."

She seemed satisfied with the answer, but oddly enough, it was Chiron who gave him a surprised glance.

"Well," Chiron said, "I'm scanning the networks used by ships in the region, as well as satellites in low orbit developed by the surface dwellers to see if I can pick anything up for you. Until then, why don't you and Artemis go spar? It could help her to learn how different movement is out of the water."

"Oh. I never considered that," She confessed with a shy smile at him, "would you?"

"Yeah," he replied, shooting Chiron a quick glare, "the first thing you're going to have to learn is about keeping your balance. It's a bit tricky after spending so much time in water, but you're smart and talented, so I think you'll get it down in no time."

**XXX**

After three bouts, Artemis had land combat down pat. The fourth match ended with Percy slamming into the wall, the smaller woman having thrown him over her shoulder as he launched a round-house kick at her. The stone behind him cracked from the impact, and he let out a deep breath as he thudded onto the ground.

"Okay, that took you way faster than I expected," Percy groaned as Artemis helped him to his feet. "You've fought in a dry room before, haven't you?"

"My father wanted me ready for any threat," Artemis grinned at him, "I just wanted to see how good of a teacher you could be, rather than the usual of me instructing you."

"Yeah? How'd I measure up," he shot back, bumping her shoulder, "good enough to pass?"

"I suppose," she shrugged, "of course, you'll never be as great as me, but what can be done about that?"

"I'll just have to live my life in your shadow, I guess," he laughed as Chiron entered the chamber.

"A civilian yacht drifted into pirate territory as was boarded," the older man said, "the Australian Navy is the closest, but they're not close enough. This would be a good way to start improving your reputation, Percy."

"Do we know where the yacht is?" He asked, pulling his mail shirt on, "how many pirates?"

"Between five and ten," Chiron said, "they're towards the north-east, about fifty nautical miles. Eight surface dwellers aboard, celebrating an…engagement, it seems, based on the social media posts preceding the take-over."

"Here," Artemis said, handing him a pair of gauntlets that matched his armour, "punching ships may be fun, but it's best to let the metal take the brunt of it."

"Well it matches the rest of my armour, at the very least," he grinned, "are you joining me?"

She exchanged a glance with Chiron, who gave a subtle nod.

"I suppose I am," she said, "have you been practicing your water-bearing?"

"Nothing beyond the basics," he shrugged, "that's more your wheelhouse. I can do a few tricks but punching things has always been my specialty."

"We'll focus on that later, Percy," Chiron told him impatiently, tapping his foot on the ground, "you have somewhere to be."

He handed them a pair of comm-beads like the Atlantean Royal guard used, and Percy slipped it into his ear, before feeling a moment of suction as the technology ensured it wouldn't jostle during his movement.

"I'll speak to and guide you with those comm-beads," Chiron explained, "a private network that lets us all communicate. Top-level Atlantean technology. Now get going, those hostages aren't going to rescue themselves."

"Yeah I know," Percy said over his shoulder, before diving back into the water, "I hope I get a better reward from these people than the last yacht I rescued out at sea."

"Last people?" Artemis said beside him, matching his speed.

"The man whose company sent mercenaries after me—the incident that sparked me travelling to Atlantis—was the last person I rescued at sea. Well, excluding the submarine a few weeks ago, but that doesn't really count," he replied, "but yeah, I hope these people like me more."

"I can't imagine anyone liking you at first, Percy," Artemis teased, "our first individual conversation involved you hiding in a cloud of sea-foam."

"Well I'm dramatic like that," he laughed, "besides, we both know I impressed you with that stunt."

"Annoyed me, more like," she sighed, "and I did blacken your eye afterwards, so it wasn't entirely bad."

"See?" He rotated so that he was looking at her, essentially swimming a side stroke, "that was the start of our wonderful friendship. Who knows what other kinds of friends I can make?"

Artemis rolled her eyes but didn't respond. An hour later, with some minor corrections from Chiron, they arrived below the yacht. There were two smaller craft moored to it, but they would be unmanned if the pirates had any skill. The sun was beginning to rise, creating an orange tint even through the water. Percy motioned Artemis to stay put, and he carefully poked his head out of the water. There were five pirates on deck, all armed with that one Russian assault rifle that seemingly everyone had, and there were four hostages at their feet. He spotted another duo of pirates on the bridge of the yacht, and three more at the bow. Ten total. Ten would be easy alone. With Artemis by his side, it was child's play. He sank back below the waves, where Artemis waited for him with a scowl.

"I _am_ capable of using my own eyes," she reminded him.

"Sorry, just habit, I guess," he apologised, "Ten pirates. Five on the deck with four hostages, two on the bridge, three on the bow. I have a plan, if you think it'll work."

"Let's hear it then, Percy," Artemis motioned him onwards.

"If you take the five with the hostages, you can protect them from any fire. I'll deal with the other five. If there are any below deck, which I doubt, based on the boats they came on, then I can move quickly and sweep through it," he explained quickly, "then we secure the pirates, wait until the authorities are close, and leave."

"It's not a bad plan," Artemis agreed, "shall we get on with it?"

"Five crowns if I get on the deck before you?"

"You're on!" Artemis shot upwards immediately, Percy right on her heels, as Chiron's exasperated voice came in his ear.

"_Are you really making a bet right now?_"

Percy overtook the princess a moment before she breached the surface, coming out of the water in a geyser, and landing onto the deck with a roll that placed him in front of one of the pirates at the bow. He grabbed him and launched him backwards, sending him flying into the two on the bridge, knocking _them_ over like bowling pins. He grabbed the barrel of the gun of the man to his left, and jerked it backwards, letting them pirate knock himself out on the stock of his own weapon. The third pirate managed to get a shot off, but Percy was in front of him before he could another off. Percy glared at him before throwing him into the base of the bridge tower.

Artemis had subdued the five pirates with the hostages, and they were bound with the ropes of water that glowed an unnatural blue, much like her own eyes were at the moment. Percy still didn't believe _entirely_ in magic, but he couldn't think of a scientific explanation for water-bearing. He had some skill in it, being of Royal Blood, but Artemis exercised a level of control that astounded him, and many of the sorcerers in Atlantis. He grabbed a length of rope from the deck and used it to tie up all the pirates together. Once he was done with that, the water holding them in place lost its glow, and fell to the deck. He rubbed his hands together and turned to the hostages, ready to give some speech about truth and justice when he stopped dead in his tracks.

"Percy?" Silena Beauregard was looking at him with the widest eyes he had ever seen.

"Percy? Who are these people? How do they know you?" Artemis followed with, which led to Silena turning to look at her.

"Dude," Charles Beckendorf said, "you just threw a man twenty feet into two other men."

"_Percy, what's going on?_" Chiron's voice came back on in his ear.

"Ah, hell," he muttered. This was going to be awkward.

**MMXIX**

**So here we go. I said that Percy's surface friends weren't going to make an appearance for a while, and technically, they didn't, but I'm also aware that it wasn't **_**that**_** long of a non-appearance. To be fair, I did this for a specific reason, because I have an idea for Charles and Silena that needs Percy rescuing them to happen. More on that later in the story. I know that I brought water-bearing (water magic) kind of out of nowhere, but I forgot to write it in earlier, so it's just shoehorned in here. Whoops. As you may have noticed, Percy is noticeably trident-less, and **_**that**_** will be dealt with shortly. Please leave a review, or feel free to send me a PM telling me what you think.**

**Cheers, CombatTombat**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten**

_**Artemis**_

"Percy?" She asked again, her voice slightly softer this time. She could see the panic on his face as he stared at the two surface dwellers who had recognised him. She could've spoken in English to him, having learned the language a year into his stay, but Atlantean would ensure that no one present could understand them. "Talk to me, Percy, who are these people?"

"They shouldn't have seen me," he murmured back in the mother tongue, "I grew up with them. Silena Beauregard and Charles Beckendorf," he tipped his head towards them, "but I haven't seen them since before my mother died."

"Percy, man, English, please?" The man, Charles, asked, "we don't speak sea-language."

"We're having a private conversation, so please wait your turn," Artemis told him in English before switching back to Atlantean, "do you want to leave? I can remain here until the authorities arrive and then rejoin you."

"No…I owe it to them to look them in the eyes and talk," he sighed, glancing over his shoulder to the distance, far, far to the east. "Is there any our people in the Pacific?"

"What? No, not that I'm aware of," she replied, "But I wouldn't be the one to ask."

"_No, there's no Atlantean's operating in the Pacific, Percy,_" Chiron thankfully didn't need them to address him directly. "_Why?_"

"I'm getting a…feeling," he said, before shaking his head, "we'll deal with it later. I've got to talk to these two first. How far away are the Australians?"

"_Less than two hours away,_" Chiron answered, "_They've decided to deploy a helicopter in about fifteen minutes, which will arrive in an hour. I would leave then, as they'll know the ship is safe._"

Percy didn't reply, instead turning to the two surface dwellers.

"So," he began awkwardly in English again, "it's been a while. Uh, congratulations on the engagement."

"How did you…?" Beckendorf began, but Percy just arched an eyebrow and held up his left hand. "Oh. Right, that makes sense."

"Where have you _been_?" The woman, Silena, demanded from him, "you just run away from your home, your friends, and disappear into the ocean? The first news we got of you was helmet-footage of you being attacked by mercenaries! Do you know how worried we were?"

She slapped his chest before gripping her wrist tightly.

"Ow! What the hell, Percy? Are you made of steel?"

"Uh, no, but technically my muscles are harder than it," he explained nervously, "so that I can survive in the crushing depths of the sea. Hi, Mister Beauregard. How's the company?"

"Going well, thank you, Percy," the older man said, "you look well. Healthy. I suppose Fredrick's nonsense about Atlantis was true, after all, given your companion."

Artemis didn't miss the dark flicker across Percy's face, and his anger was only confirmed by the words that followed.

"Fredrick was wrong about so many things I couldn't even begin to tell you where to begin," he spat, "there is no Atlantis. I'm just a-a, I don't know, _mutant_. Meta-Human. Whatever the word is. I was lucky to find out that I'm not the only person like myself, but there is no 'grand' civilization under the waves. There's _three _of us. And soon there'll likely only be two. So, no, Fredrick was not right about 'Atlantis', he was not right about my 'advanced species' or about a 'flourishing civilization.'If you see him, send him my regards, and make sure to remind him that I haven't forgotten what he did for my _mother_."

"Enough, Percy," she stepped forward, placing a hand on his arm. "You're too angry. You need to cool off. Take a swim. _Now_."

He didn't so much glare at her as he did glare at the world, before leaping off the side of the ship. A white streak of bubbles indicated that he had swam off to the east, the same area he had been staring at before.

"Uh, hi," Silena waved at her, "so how did you meet Percy?"

"By accident," she explained, making it up as she went along, "I was swimming off the coast of Africa when we ran into each other. We've stuck together ever since, I suppose. It's…not easy, being one of three people in the world that can understand. Percy's anger is still raw, and it bubbles beneath the surface of his skin."

"What about the…clothes? Armour?" Silena frowned, "that's certainly not from anywhere that I'm aware of."

"A shipwreck in the Mediterranean," she said, "most of it had been destroyed by the water, but the armour was still pristine. We decided to take it for ourselves."

"And what's your relationship with Percy?" Silena continued, "friends? More?"

"Do you interrogate everyone that rescues you?" Artemis countered, but it clearly didn't faze the woman before her. Brave of her, at the very least.

"Only the ones who are with old friends," Silena shot back, "so, which is it? You said it yourself—you're the only people that understand each other."

"We're friends," she said, "and that's the end of the matter. Unless you'd like to push me further?"

She let her eyes flash with magic for just a moment, but it served to silence the other woman. She was far too perceptive, this Silena Beauregard, and Artemis decided that she wasn't a fan of the way she had glanced between herself and Percy like she knew something they didn't.

"So…how _is_ Percy?" Beckendorf asked after a long period of silence, "he seems healthy, obviously, but how is he, you know, mentally and all that?"

"That's not a question I'm sure I want to answer," Artemis replied carefully. A moment later, Percy's voice came in her ear.

"_Go ahead and tell them,_" he said, "_it's only fair. But then get ready to bug out, because you will not believe what I just found_."

"But…" she continued as if she had been pondering the issue, "because you are old friends of his, I will tell you. Percy is…well, for the most part. Far more in tune with his emotions than when we first met. But the betrayal he suffered from you surface dwellers has scarred him deeply. He is not as trusting as he used to be, or so he tells me, and as you may have noticed, he is quick to anger. The whaling ships only prove that point."

"That's a mixed issue back home," Beckendorf nodded, "some people are praising him for attacking an immoral institution, while others are...less charitable in their opinions. Personally, I think he's doing a great job."

"_Australian helicopter is nearby, Artemis,_" Chiron told her, "_they've spotted you_."

"This was interesting, but I need to go now and find Percy before I lose him to some shipwreck adventure," she told them, glancing at the helicopter that was closing in on the ship. She decided to give them a further show, and waved her hand, creating a staircase of hard water that let her walk from the deck into the sea, before vanishing under the waves. She activated her comm-device. "Where are you, Percy?"

"_I'll pick you up, Artemis,_" Chiron said, "_apparently I want to see this too_."

**XXX**

They arrived at Percy's location, a heavily forested island in the middle of nowhere, where there shouldn't have been anything except for native fauna and flora. Percy had found an ancient Atlantean tomb. An underwater cave led into the tomb itself. The architecture was unmistakably old Atlantean, but the runes carved into the wall predated anything they had in the records. She could make out a few words here and there, but nothing that made sense. Chiron, however, seemed to know what it was.

"It can't be…" he muttered, running his hands along the wall, "Percy, do you know what you've found?"

"Not a clue," Percy shrugged, "but I was drawn to it. No idea why."

"This…this is the Tomb of Atlan! The Last Surface King of Atlantis!" Chiron exclaimed, and Artemis' heart skipped a beat. "Percy, you've found the tomb of your ancestor's brother!"

"Oh. Neat," Percy said almost dismissively, a hand trailing idly along one of the walls, "can either of you hear that buzzing?"

"What buzzing?" Artemis frowned.

"The answer's no, then," he sighed, "well it got me this far. Let's see where it goes."

He ambled further into the tomb, ignoring side passages and statues, instead pushing straight for the center of the tomb. Chiron basically stumbled after him, and Artemis followed with more reservation than them. If word got out to the other kingdoms that the Tomb of Atlan had been found, it wouldn't be long before an all-out war was fought over it. It was such an integral part of their history, and by finding it, Percy had ensured that Atlantis would be credited for any information recovered.

She found them in a large, central chamber. Chiron was imploring Percy to be careful, but he just pushed onwards, walking straight up to the throne in the middle of the chamber. There was a skeleton gripping a large trident, desiccated in its armour. Percy gripped the trident, and there was a sudden blinding light, which faded after a moment. Artemis nearly jumped in surprise at the new presence in the chamber, a golden glow around the skeleton in the throne.

At first, she had thought the skeleton had risen, but it quickly became clear that it was not the skeleton at all, but a shade…a-a _ghost_.

"Interesting," the spirit said, walking around Percy, who was stock still, "you're of my brother's bloodline, but…you're different. Not entirely Atlantean. Something more and something less at the same time. What is your name, young one?"

"Percy," he answered, before pausing, "Perseus. After—"

"After my old friend, yes I figured as such. Orin did like Perseus immensely. Had I borne a son, I'd have named him after Perseus as well," the spirit—_Atlan's_ spirit, laughed, "tell me, Perseus, what are you, and how did you find this tomb?"

"Uh, I'm half-human, half-Atlantean, and I followed this annoying buzz in my ear that led me here. It went away when I grabbed the trident." Percy explained. "Are you a ghost?"

"What an uncouth term," Atlan shook his head, "I prefer spirit. Neptune has made an interesting decision, electing not to send a full-blooded Atlantean to the Tomb. I must say I'm rather surprised by his decision."

"…Neptune, the god of the seas?" Percy asked, "that Neptune?"

"Would I talk of another? Yes, that Neptune," Atlan sighed, "he much prefers that name to Poseidon. I imagine that the practice of naming sons after him must've irked him enough to take a new name. Tell me, have there been many Atlan's in Atlantis' history since I died?"

"No sire," Chiron spoke up, "you were the last to bear the name."

"An advisor and a foreign princess," Atlan mused as he looked them over, "what interesting company you keep, Nephew. Well, distant nephew, but I believe I'll keep the title simple. Now, answer me this. Why should I give you the trident?"

"I mean I don't really want it," Percy shrugged, "I was just trying to get rid of the buzz in my ears. If you want, I'll leave it here."

"You don't want power at all, do you?" Atlan asked, subtle amazement present in his voice. "You're content to just…be."

"Power is dangerous," Percy replied, "I'm powerful, and where did that get me? My mother dead and forced to flee my original home. So no, I don't want power. I have enough of it, and it's never done me any good."

"I see now why he sent you," Atlan said, "take the trident, Perseus. Wield it with honour, and it shall never fail you. The other artefacts are yours to do with as you please."

"Other artefacts?" Percy asked, but Atlan's spirit had disappeared. The sarcophagus behind the throne rumbled, and the lid slid off. Percy peered inside quickly before letting out a sigh of relief. He reached in and pulled out a crown. "Oh, I think he meant these artefacts."

"Percy…" Chiron began softly, "you just spoke to the spirit of Atlan!"

"I know," he grinned back at them, "I think I might believe in magic now."

**MMXIX**

**Just a quick update with the whole Corona thing—two of my family members work in the healthcare industry, so we're being very cautious with that, and my sister has a potential situation where she is, so even though it may **_**seem**_** like I have nothing better to do than write, I'd ask that you all respect the fact that I may take some time away to help my family. Thank you very much.**

**So, Percy finally has gotten his hands on a (THE) trident. Percy's conversation with Atlan's spirit is a much bigger deal for the other two people present, but for Percy, it's more a moment of clarity than anything else. He's finally accepting that things are as they are, and he can't do anything about it. Most of the other artefacts he recovers will be going back to Atlantis, but he'll keep one thing other than the trident, which isn't really important in the grand scheme of things, but really helps cement his image to the surface dwellers. The next chapter will be from the perspective of a new, non-Atlantean character. As always, leave a review and let me know what you think!**

**Cheers, CombatTombat**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven**

_**Jason**_

"McLean, you're covering the Praetor story—the one about the plane, not anything else," Lupa ordered, "Leila, you've got sports this week, and Larry, you're covering the city hall scandal. Grace, how do you feel about a trip to New York?"

"Uh, it's not really on any of my to-do lists, boss," he told her, "why?"

"Because you're taking a trip to New York," Lupa rolled her eyes, "Montauk, to be precise. That Jackson kid, the one who apparently lives underwater, made the news again. Rescued some people celebrating an engagement out in the Pacific. Apparently, he knew them as well. I want to create a profile on him, so I'm sending you to New York. Interview everyone that knew him. Find out what you can. I've got your plane tickets and hotel booking. You leave in five hours."

She tossed a packet at him, and he placed it in his bag. That marked the end of the meeting, and the reporters dispersed to go begin working on their assignments. Lupa was a fair, if sometimes harsh, boss, and she did her best to rotate the stories so that no one got stuck in one particular field. But even still, there was a bit of a disparity between the assignments that Piper McLean got and the ones that everyone else got. _Not_ that it was a bad thing, of course.

Piper McLean's father was a big name in Hollywood, and Jason had heard rumours that that was why Lupa had hired her as a reporter at _Aquila News_. That was the biggest load of crap he had ever heard in his life. Piper had this…charm around her that led most people to tell her things, even if they didn't exactly mean to. Jason had spent three months trying to figure out if she was a meta-human, but everything had come up to zilch. The other option was an alien, but he figured that was at the very least statistically unlikely.

After all, what were the chances that there were _two_ aliens in San Francisco? Piper's story covered the hero that had been called the _Praetor_ by none other than Lupa nearly two years ago. The typical do-gooder, saving cats, getting people out of burning buildings, foiling crime. It was also Jason's _other_ job.

Not that Jason really considered himself to be an alien. He had been raised in California, so he figured that meant that he was at least culturally American. And he _did_ technically have American citizenship, but that was mostly because his adoptive mother had lied and told everyone that he had born over a particularly long winter that left most people indoors.

"Hey, sparky!" Piper called out to him, and he glanced over his shoulder to look at her, "why is it that you always get to free flights across the country, while I'm stuck at home?"

"Piper, I get given economy class tickets and barely fit in the seats," he laughed, "at least you get the luxury of sleeping in your own bed."

"Still, the Atlantean story," she insisted, "what I'd give to cover that. Praetor's cool and all, but he's local. This guy keeps showing up across the globe! First in New York, then in the middle of the Atlantic, then in the Sea of Japan, doing a freaking amazing job with those whalers, and now in the Pacific, rescuing hostages. Talk about an international presence. Will you let me know if you learn anything interesting?"

"That we don't already know?" He shrugged, "sure, but the Jackson family was covered pretty thoroughly when the whole thing happened. God, I was a _junior_ when that all happened. It seems like it was just yesterday but…"

"I know the feeling," Piper nodded, "that was a weird year. Praetor had that showdown with the army in Nevada, the Ghost was first sighted in Detroit, there was that incident with a witch in New Orleans—it's like that year was the first sign that things would never be the same."

"Yeah," Jason trailed off, glancing out the window over the Bay. The city, as always, was beautiful, but it really didn't compare to the woman standing next to him. Piper was such a _presence_ that he had to look away, or he'd make a fool of himself by staring at her. "It sure was a crazy year."

And it _had_ been. Jason had just been coming into his powers fully, with them having taken the first eighteen years of his life to fully metastasise, and so he had taken off into the wild of Nevada, hoping to figure out how to use them safely. It had ended in a standoff with the US Air Force, and he had fled away, his mom hiding him for nearly a year before they were certain the government didn't know who he was. Even know, he wasn't entirely sure that they _didn't_, but no one had come after him since, so he guessed his secret was safe. Or maybe it wasn't, and they were just waiting to pounce on him. Either way, he was ready this time. They wouldn't get him so easily.

"You should probably get packed and going," Piper offered, "it's a hell of a drive to the airport, and it's a decent flight to New York from here."

"About five hours, yeah," Jason nodded, "I've made the flight before."

"Really?" She blinked, "I thought this was your first time going there?"

Shit. He hadn't really meant to give that away.

"I've flown to the capital before, and it's about the same," he shrugged, "so it's nothing new for me."

"Oh, right, you did that story on Senator Green last year," Piper smacked her forehead, "I can't believe I forgot that. Well, good luck Jason. Keep my updated?"

"Sure, Piper," He gave her a small smile, "have fun with the Praetor story."

"If only I could get an interview with him," she sighed, "why are all the heroes in the world so damn _mysterious_."

Jason laughed as he walked away. An interview though…didn't sound like a bad idea.

**XXX**

After a flight, long drive, shower, and sleep, Jason woke up ready for the story ahead of him. He had studied everything he knew about the Jackson story on the flight, and to be honest, he was more than a little thankful that his parents hadn't ever gone to anyone else for help with his developing powers. Then again, he had been lucky enough to be raised by both of them, and they had been so sure that they could handle it all on their own. Sally Jackson, it seemed, hadn't been as lucky. Only twenty-one when her son was born, the lighthouse she operated had some state funding, which helped them get by, but not much. A marriage that ended with divorce and the ex-husband locked away for child endangerment. There were a few stories that had cropped up that revealed that Perseus Jackson hadn't exactly been normal from the beginning. Stories like the one about his sophomore year prom where he punched a senior in the jaw, breaking it in a single hit. Most people had brushed it aside, but in hindsight, it had been a sign.

Another one was his love of the ocean. All accounts indicated that Perseus was known for how much time he spent at Montauk beach, either swimming, sailing, or just taking in the sun. He was a renowned swimmer in his community. Then there were the stories attributed to him ex post facto. A group of teens who snuck out on a boat that was at risk of getting swept away by a storm suddenly getting towed back into safe harbour. A beached whale getting pushed in before any serious equipment could arrive. The black box of a plane that crashed into the ocean washing up directly at the nearest coast-guard station. Jackson sure hadn't been idle before he vanished. But he _had_ been careful. It was only Fredrick Chase's press conference that sparked everything that went wrong. He had trusted the man for twelve years and was repaid with betrayal. Humans were so odd.

He had decided that he would start small—the neighbours around the old Jackson lighthouse, teachers, and maybe a few acquaintances. Then he would try to get closer to his friends. He had a small list, a group of about four people, really, that could be said to know Perseus Jackson _really_ well. Silena Beauregard, Charles Beckendorf, Grover Underwood, and Annabeth Chase. The last one would be interesting, to say the least, seeing how she was the daughter of the man who had exposed him. He wondered if their friendship had stayed intact. He'd try to find out, at the very least.

The Jackson lighthouse dominated the skyline of Montauk. It was located on top of a rocky hill, with a long, winding path. There was a brick wall that separated the lighthouse from the rest of the town, and a wrought iron fence with a large padlock over it. A sign read _Keep Out!_ but there were signs of life, and that didn't even require Jason to focus. There were fresh tire tracks on the parking spot, and the garden was clean and organised. Not the type of thing you'd expect to see at a lighthouse that had been abandoned for six years, reportedly.

"What are you doing here?" A sharp voice came from behind him. Jason glanced over his shoulder to see an older woman standing with her hands on her hips. "There's clearly no one here."

"Sorry, I'm a journalist for _Aquila_ _News_ in San Francisco. I'm doing a story on Perseus Jackson, since he started showing up again in the Pacific," he apologised, "did you know him?"

"Know him?" The older woman snorted, "he was practically my eldest son. He and my step-daughter were best friends, before my ex-husband went and ruined everything."

"You're…Fredrick Chase's wife?" He scribbled, before pausing, "sorry, ex-wife?"

"I am," she confirmed, "my step-daughter, Annabeth, pretty much lives in the lighthouse now. She says she's taking care of it for when Percy comes back. I think she just misses him."

Jason stopped scribbling at her words, glancing at the lighthouse. He focused on it, trying to see if anyone was inside, but the house was empty.

"Staring at the lighthouse won't get you any answers," The woman said, "and neither will asking around here. Sally was the light of this neighbourhood, and Percy was truly her son. They didn't speak to the reporters when it first happened, and they won't speak to you now. You're better going into the city and asking around there. The school, and places like that."

"Would you be willing to answer some questions about him, miss, uh?" He trailed off, realising he didn't know her name.

"Helen," she told him, "and why would I? So that you can drag his name through the mud again? Bring up everything about him?"

"I'm trying to paint a picture of the man who rescued those people from pirates, as well as the one that attacks whaling ships," Jason explained, "some people just see him as a menace—a freak—but others see him as a force for good. Right now, everyone knows the stories that were told six years ago. No one knows what kind of person he is, only what they _think_ he is. If you really knew him so well, wouldn't you want to make sure that he's known for who he really is?"

"You're very clever," she said after a moment, "appealing to me like that. But you're not wrong, either. I'll give you an interview and…I'll reach out to Charles and Silena. They were the ones he rescued, after all."

"I'd appreciate that a lot," he said, "thank you very much."

Helen scribbled her address on a piece of paper.

"Come tomorrow at noon. I'll make sure Charles and Silena are there, and if I can find her, Annabeth. Grover lives in the west now, so he can't help, but maybe you'll find him when you go back to California."

"How did you—"

"Your accent," Helen laughed, "and everyone knows who _Aquila_ _News_ are. I read your article on Senator Green, Mister Grace. It was very well written."

"Oh, thank you," he felt the blood rush to his face, so he looked down, "I just wanted everyone to know the truth, you know."

"That's why I'm doing this," Helen nodded, "because everyone deserves to know the truth about Percy, not the fabrication that came about because of Fredrick's decisions."

"I'll see you tomorrow then, Mrs…Miss…Helen?"

"Just Helen, dear," she told him, "don't abuse the trust I'm putting in you."

She strolled off, climbing into her car and driving away. Jason watched her go before turning back to the lighthouse. He watched it a moment more before a glint from the water caught his attention. He focused on it, but whatever was there had dived deep, and quickly. He couldn't see that far underwater, even with his X-Ray vision. That was curious. He'd look into it later. Right now, he planned on finding some people in the city who might've known Percy. He wanted the full story, after all, not just what Helen and the others would tell him.

**MMXIX**

**Another chapter down, this time introducing Jason (AKA Praetor AKA a sort of Superman/Thor combo. It'll be explained more later.) Yes, he's a reporter, and yes, he's researching Percy, which will contribute to their meeting later. We're going to have him meeting with Charles, Silena, Annabeth, and Helen in the next chapter, and we're going to find out what the first two have been up to since Percy rescued them. So I very clearly state it's been six years since Percy was revealed to the world. I'll provide all the ages for everyone right now, who's appeared in this story.**

**Percy, Annabeth, Charles, and Silena—24**

**Jason, Piper, Triton and Artemis—23**

**Obviously, as more characters get added, and time moves on, this'll change. I'll keep y'all updated. As always, feel free to leave me a review, or send me a PM. **

**Cheers, CombatTombat**


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve**

_**Annabeth**_

When Annabeth walked into Helen's living room, she found herself joined by Charles, Silena, and more importantly, a reporter, notepad resting on his knee. She knew what she had walked into straight away.

"No. Nope. No way," she shook her head, turning to leave. Helen blocked her path and arched an eyebrow at her. Annabeth shook her head again. "I'm not doing this, Helen."

"I'm not letting you leave until you talk to the nice reporter man," Helen told her simply, "You've seen that Percy's back in the news again. This is a chance to tell the story properly. To let people understand that above anything else, Percy is a _good_ person. Don't you think he deserves that, at the very least?"

"…Fine," Annabeth conceded, "but only because it's the right thing to do. Not because I want to."

"If that's what you need to tell yourself," Helen patted her cheek, "now come on, let's not keep the nice man waiting."

Annabeth rolled her eyes, but followed her in, taking a seat. Charles was already talking, and Annabeth gave him a quick once over. He had put on more weight, if that was possible, and there were some new cuts and scars on his biceps. Silena too, had put on a little more muscle, and her arms were more defined than she remembered them ever being. The two had been working out more since their disastrous engagement trip, and apparently Charles was also doing some non-standard exercises in addition, which might've led to the injuries.

"Percy was always a pretty chill guy, but that was mostly because he was just _watching _us all the time," Charles was saying, "I always thought it was just because he never wanted to give an opinion he considered uninformed, but I think now he was just trying to see if we could see _him_ for what he really was. Looking back, there were a few things that happened. I remember when Silena and I first started dating, I told Percy how I wanted to get her something special and unique that no one else had. A week later, he handed me a stone that he said he found while going for a swim at Montauk. He said it was nestled in the sand as he went back to his house, and he remembered what I had told him. I had the stone cut so that it could be turned into a necklace, but the man who cut it told me that it was normally only found pretty much on the seafloor, and that finding it washed up on the beach was pretty miraculous. He was nice like that, always trying to help people out to the best of his ability."

"Wait, Percy found this?" Silena held the necklace up. It was a deep blue, almost reflective in nature, and Annabeth had always wondered where it came from.

"Yeah," Charles rubbed the back of his neck, "I didn't think much about it at the time, but I think he went _looking _for it. I'm actually more impressed now than I was back then."

"And did Percy ever do anything that worried you, before the…reveal?" The reporter asked carefully, "anything that made you question exactly what he was capable?" 

"Well there was the time he broke Luke Castellan's jaw," Silena said off-handily before clapping her hands over her mouth. Beside her, Charles winced, and Annabeth felt her cheek twitch just a little. Even Helen coughed a little to hide her displeasure.

"Ah, is that one of those stories that's better untold?" The reporter asked them, taking their reactions all in at once. Annabeth knew who he was—Jason Grace, one of _Aquila News_' best reporters, and their reactions, especially Silena's, would have been noted.

"No," Annabeth said firmly, "it's one of those stories that _should_ be told. When we were sixteen, and Luke was eighteen, he invited me to Prom. He was always known as the 'bad' boy, and my parents weren't very happy with my decision to go with him. Even Percy didn't like the idea, but as always, he backed me. An hour into prom, I found him with another girl—Percy's date, incidentally—and got really drunk. When Percy found out, he punched Luke in the face, and broke his jaw. To some, it'll seem like Percy has a temper, and that he couldn't control it. That's not true. What Luke did was horrible, but knowing what we know _now_ about Percy, it really shows just how much self-control he has."

"What do you mean?" Jason asked her.

"We've all seen the footage," she explained, "he crushed a gun in his hands six years ago. We've seen him punch holes in metal and tear harpoon guns that are bolted to decking out like they weigh nothing. Percy could've killed Luke with a flick of his finger, and but he didn't. Sure, punching him probably wasn't the smartest decision, but we were _sixteen_. Who made good decision back then all the time?"

"Oh, there was the dolphin incident your junior year," Helen added. Silena clapped her hands excitedly.

"The…the dolphin incident?" Jason tested the words out, "that sounds…interesting, to say the least."

"It was an experience, that's for sure," Charles chuckled, "and again, in retrospect, it was another one of those things he did for us that we didn't even consider at the time. We just thought it was a miracle."

"Our junior year," Silena continued, "the school took us on a trip out on a boat to Long Island Sound. It was just a blow-off thing since we were getting ready for exams, but Annabeth and I had talked about how we wanted to see dolphins, since we had never seen them outside of aquariums. Percy had been staring at the water pretty intensely, and someone had made fun of him for it. But then, somehow, when we were out there, a massive pod of dolphins comes swimming up alongside our ship."

"We thought it was the coolest thing ever," Annabeth nodded, "they swam with us for miles before just vanishing under the waves. Percy had looked so _smug_, but I didn't understand why until later."

"This part's going to suck a little," Jason warned them, "Doctor Fredrick Chase has said that Percy Jackson has a wide array of abilities, including but not limited to super strength, the ability to breathe underwater, ultra-durable muscles, a sort of psychic connection to aquatic animals, and enhanced vision. Clearly, we've seen some evidence that this is true, but he has also maintained that Mister Jackson belongs to an ancient kingdom of sea-dwellers called Atlantis, and that he is an 'Atlantean.' Do you believe this too?"

"No," Silena said immediately, "Percy settled that matter for us. Whatever he is, there's only three of them. That's what his friend said to us."

"Friend?" Jason perked up, "the older man he was seen with six years ago?"

"No," Silena shook her head, "a woman. She wore armour like Percy's, but green. Auburn hair, and silver eyes. _Really_ beautiful, if we're being honest. And she could do crazy water magic. She created rope out of water and used it to hold the pirates who had captured us. And then she made a staircase of water."

Jason was scribbling furiously, but Annabeth was barely paying any attention to that. She hadn't heard _this_ part.

"He's…with a woman?" She heard herself speak, but she hadn't really meant to.

"Yeah, I think her name is Artemis," Charles said, "most of the time, they spoke in some weird language, but both spoke English with us. She sounded kinda British, but I couldn't really tell, if we're being honest."

"And she can manipulate water?" Jason asked them excitedly, "what else did she do with it?"

"I mean she used jets of water to knock the pirates off water before subduing them pretty quickly," Silena said, "it was _really_ fast. Percy too, I barely saw him moving, and the other pirates were dealt with. It's like he was a blur."

"So he said explicitly that there's only three people like him?"

"Well, he didn't, Artemis did," Charles admitted, "Percy had gotten angry and left the ship."

"My dad, uh, brought up an unwanted topic of discussion," Silena continued, "but Artemis said that there were only three of them in the world. It must be so awful for them, knowing they're alone out there."

"So you think Doctor Chase was wrong about his theory?" Jason's eyes flickered towards her, and she took it as her cue to answer him.

"I think my dad was wrong in some respects," Annabeth said, "like Silena and Charles said, if Percy says there's no Atlantis, then there isn't. But my father also spent _years_ learning about Percy's abilities. The truth is that he'll know more about what Percy can do than we do. We're guessing based off of what we've seen, and the few things my dad has revealed. If you want to know what Percy can _do_, go talk to him. If you want to know what he's _like_, then we're your people. Which is it?"

"A bit of both, actually, but for this piece, I just want to know the type of person he was. What he can do is just personal curiosity." Jason shrugged. "I've seen what he's done to those whaling ships, but he's been quiet the past few weeks in the Sea of Japan. No one has seen him since he rescued you two," he tipped his head towards Charles and Silena, "and the current theory—at least in San Francisco—is that he's gone into hiding so that he couldn't be tracked down. We hadn't heard anything about a companion."

"Well no one told us we _couldn't_ talk about it," Silena shrugged, "and I think it's good that he has company. Percy was always quick to retreat into himself. Artemis really seemed to care about how he was feeling."

Annabeth felt her cheek twitch again, and she looked away before taking a slight breath. Silena was right, it was good that Percy had someone with her, and Annabeth shouldn't have been bothered by it.

But she was.

She had several years to come to terms with the fact that Percy had looked at her like she had hung the stars, and that she had never noticed. Her best friend had been in love with her, and it hadn't even crossed her mind that he saw her as anything _but_ a best friend. But at the same time, she hadn't realised just how much she took advantage of that. If there was one thing Percy couldn't do, it was say 'no' to her. Annabeth wanted to take a midnight trip to the city so that she could get a bagel from a particular place? Percy was in front of her house in half an hour in his beat-up Jeep. If she wanted to skip class and go to the beach, then Percy was there with her, regardless of how _he_ was doing in his classes.

"Well, that's everything I need, I think," Jason said, standing up, "thank you all so much for your time. I'll make sure to do Percy justice."

"He can do that on his own," Helen shook her head, "but you'll certainly help with matters. "

"Uhm, this might be awkward, but do you know how I might reach your father, Miss Chase?" Jason asked her.

"I'll give you his information," Helen said, rising to her feet, "he might not talk to you. He's been oddly silent on the matter _he _created since Sally's death. I think it's possible he feels guilt."

"Thank you, Helen," Jason gave her a smile. His voice drifted off as Helen led him out of the house. Annabeth waited until she heard the door close to turn to Silena and Charles.

"You didn't tell me he wasn't alone anymore," she narrowed her eyes at them, "in fact, you didn't tell me anything other than the fact that Percy had rescued you two. I didn't know you _talked_ to him."

"Annabeth, we talked to him for a few minutes before my dad mentioned _your_ dad," Silena said quietly, "and then he got angry. Angrier than I have ever seen him in my life. His eyes were…I was scared of him. He's so powerful, so strong, and we never knew." 

"You said that he could've broken Luke's jaw with a flick of his finger," Charles added, "he could do the same to me, Annabeth. I'm twice his size, and he could break me like it was nothing. He's dangerous, and scarily so. We didn't tell you about it, because frankly, it's kinda hard to do it. This isn't the Percy we remember. He's different."

"He can't be _that_ different," she shook her head, "he helped you."

"He didn't know it was us, and we don't even know _how_ he found us," Charles pointed out, "he was really freaked out when he realised who he had rescued. I think he almost had a panic attack."

"Percy…" she said slowly, "almost had a panic attack? Percy, who didn't let anything faze him, ever?"

"More bothered him than you think, Annabeth, he just didn't want to worry you about them," Charles sighed.

"More of those conversations you two had that we're not allowed to know about?"

"Yep. The point is, Percy wasn't—isn't—as infallible as you seem to think he is," Charles said, "and I think you need to keep that in mind when it comes to how we're looking at him. He's lost so much. The fact he hasn't snapped is a miracle. Who could stop him? Maybe that superhero from California, but otherwise… he's dangerous."

Annabeth scoffed, but to her surprise, Silena seemed to be in agreement, her head bobbing along to Charles' words. She blinked at her friend, who at least had the courtesy to look a little ashamed.

"You didn't see him, Annabeth," she said softly, "you didn't see how easily he threw those men aside, shattering bones and tearing muscles. You didn't see the way his demeanour flicked from soldier to the boy we knew and then back to soldier. I think you should watch the footage of Percy again, and instead of looking at _him_, look at his face. It might help."

"I'll consider it," Annabeth told her, "but I make no promises."

**XXX**

In the end, Annabeth _did_ watch the footage of Percy again. A new video of him off the coast of India had popped up, so she had started with the earliest video of him showing what he could do—the day of Sally's funeral, when he had burst out of his door, literally, and leapt into the ocean. The next clip was when the mercenaries attacked him and the other man. Percy's face was filled with anger, but that wasn't really surprising, seeing as he had been shot. After that was the footage from the Solace Industries submarine that had been released. It showed Percy for the first time in five years, and she had to admit, the years had been kind to him. He had put on a _lot_ of muscle, and every movement he made rippled with power. The fact that he was _leading_ a submarine on, and clearly moving slowly so that it wouldn't lose him showed just how fast he was.

Then there were the attacks on the whaling ships. This was when she really saw what Silena was talking about. Percy's face throughout the six videos on the attacks were just blank. Sure, there were little flashes of surprise or frustration at time, but for the most part, his jaw was set in place and his eyes were unemotive. Then there was the last, most recent video, from the coast of Australia. A whale had beached on the water, and a bunch of tourists were just standing around filming it. Granted, one of the lifeguards on duty at the beach was trying to help, but it was a _whale_. No one could move it on their own.

Except for Percy.

He came striding out of the water, a large, golden trident on his back, which led to excited and fearful murmurs from the assembled crowd. Beside him was the woman that could only be _Artemis_. Silena had, if possible, undersold her beauty. She was divine, there was no other way to put it. She said something to Percy, but the video she was watching didn't pick it up. Whatever she said made him laugh a little, and he flicked her arm before moving towards the whale and placing his hand on its head. The creature stopped it's moaning, and Percy began pushing it back into the water, making sure it got far enough out that it wouldn't beach again. The whale did a roll in the water before vanishing under the waves.

She watched nine different videos of the same event, which lasted maybe fifteen minutes, before clicking on the one titled '_I SPEAK TO A REAL ATLANTEAN'_

It showed the same things as the other, but the person filming this was brave enough to walk up to Percy.

"Excuse me, mister Atlantean, sir?" The woman behind the camera asked. Percy and Artemis turned to the camera. "Can I ask you a few questions?"

Artemis said something to him in the not-Greek language she had heard before, but Percy lifted a hand to placate her.

"What do you want to know?"

"Uhm, I was just wondering…can you _speak_ to fish? That whale became quiet after you touched it, and I remember seeing that professor—" Annabeth winced. Wrong way to take the conversation.

"I don't _speak_ to fish," Percy cut her off, "not in a way you'd understand. Imagine you're talking to a dog. It doesn't understand _what_ you're saying, but it can gather the gist of it from your tone. You can be forceful or gentle, harsh or kind. It's like that with me, except I can…I don't know, direct the way their brain waves work. I projected a feeling of calm and safety onto the whale, which is why she settled down."

"So is that like a magic thing, or…?"

"What do you know about magic?" Artemis scoffed.

"Hey now, don't be rude, she's curious," Percy laughed, "it's more like biological evolution. Artemis and I are one of a kind. A…genetic fluke, I guess, in that we've been able to adapt for life underwater."

"And where _do_ you live?"

"Everywhere, I suppose," Percy shrugged, "sometimes I'll find an uninhabited island, other times I'll just sleep in a cave. Artemis has higher standards than me, so she has her own place which I'm not going to talk about further."

"He says, talking about it," Artemis muttered under her breath, but it seemed to be more bemused than upset.

"So there's no Atlantis? No hidden city at the bottom of the ocean?" The woman asked him.

"If there is, we've never found it," Percy sighed, "it'd be amazing to find out that we're not alone, that there's other people like us, but the truth is there isn't. We're alone in this world."

And suddenly, it all clicked together. Because even after six years, Annabeth knew Percy. She had known him since they were kids. She knew how he thought, and more importantly, how he _lied_. And right now, Percy was _lying_. Now she wanted to find out _why_. And there was only one person she could talk to about that. Her dad.

**MMXIX**

**Another one down. This time, we get a much deeper insight into what Annabeth thinks about the whole situation going on. Clearly, she misses Percy, and a little more than she's willing to admit to herself. She's still mad at her father, but now she knows she needs him to help figure out why Percy would lie about being alone. More on that in later chapters.**

**The next chapter will introduce a new character again, but it will be in a current character's perspective. As always, feel free to leave a review or send me a PM.**

**Cheers, CombatTombat**


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter Thirteen**

**Jason**

Catching a bus was always a bit of a hassle, because if Jason didn't do it just right, there was a chance that _he_ would go through the bus, rather than stopping it. Getting just the right angle and force to spread the weight out instead of concentrating it on a single point took some serious brainpower. Thankfully, Jason was nothing if not capable of figuring it out. It had taken a lot of practice, but now it was basically muscle memory for him.

He lowered the bus to the ground, scanning around to make sure there wasn't anyone else at risk, before he began floating upwards. A big-rig driver had lost control, swearing across lanes. That had led to the bus he had just caught swerving off the bridge. He had been eating a sandwich on a rooftop nearby when he heard the truck start swerving across the lanes of the highway. It had taken him less than a second to arrive on the scene.

"Praetor! Praetor!" Jason's heart skipped a beat as he picked out the one voice in particular. He stopped his ascent and rotated to greet the approaching reporter. "Hi, Piper McLean, _Aquila News_, want to talk about the crash?"

"I don't know anything other than what I saw when I arrived, Miss McLean," Jason said. It was at times like this he was really glad that his suit included a mask. Jovian technology was lightyears beyond anything on Earth, and though Jason didn't understand much of it, he understood enough. "The police will investigate the matter further. I'm just glad that everyone is safe."

"But—" Piper began, only for a loud crashing sound from above. Jason glanced upwards to see chunks of debris falling from the sky towards them. Jason shot upwards, snatching it from the air before it could hurt anyone, and began following the trajectory of the projectile.

No. Projectiles. There were two holes in the building above him. He followed them to a park two miles away, two craters in the ground still swirling with the dirt and dust that had been kicked up. Jason landed nearby, and ushered the nearby civilians away, urging them to get to safety. Then he approached the craters. One was empty. The other was not.

Kneeling beside a woman wearing a green scale armour was none other than Percy Jackson, the water-breathing vigilante. The infamous trident he had started wearing recently was forgotten on the ground beside him as he held the woman in his arms. Jason could hear her breathing, but she was knocked out.

"Excuse me," he said, clearing his throat, "care to explain why you're crashing through buildings in my city?"

Jackson whirled on him, still cradling the woman with one arm, while the other had snatched up his weapon.

"Oh, it's you," Jackson didn't sound worried, just annoyed, "look, boy scout, I've kind of got my own situation going on right now, so if you could just leave, that'd be great."

"You nearly hurt people going through that building," Jason replied, folding his arms, "so forgive me if I don't."

"Look, lightning bug, I've had a pretty bad day so far," Jackson said, rising to his feet, holding his companion one-handedly without seeming the slightest bit taxed, "I've had to deal with Othrys Inc dropping dirty bombs in the water to kill me, and now I've got some weird Xena the Warrior Princess trying to kill me and my friend. Sorry I broke a building, but it wasn't really my intention to go flying through it in the first place. Now, if you'd excuse me, I've got to get Artemis to safety before—ah, crap. Here, hold this."

Then, he tossed the woman—Artemis—at Jason. He grabbed her quickly, noting that she was heavier than he expected. She had to weigh at least three hundred pounds, but she looked like she wouldn't be more than a hundred soaking wet. Jason saw a blur of red and gold, and then something crashed into Jackson, who grunted as he took the impact. Another storm of dust was kicked up, but Jason blew it away with a heavy gust of air. Locked together by trident and sword were Percy Jackson and a woman that could safely be described as Xena, the warrior princess. She wore Greek armour and was carrying a sword and shield.

Jason quickly lowered Artemis to the ground and sped between the two, shoving them both back with a little more force than intended. Both went flying dozens of feet back. Percy recovered quicker, slamming the butt of his trident into the ground, and tearing a long line in the ground. The woman, on the other hand, broke through several trees before she managed to bring herself to a stop.

"Enough!" He yelled, pointing at Percy, "you're endangering civilians! People could have died when you went through that building!" Then he pointed at the woman, "and you could've killed people throwing them through it! Now I consider myself to be a pretty patient man, but you can't come into _my _city and start putting lives at risk. Whatever problem you two have can be dealt with somewhere there _isn't_ people."

"Here's the thing," Jackson growled, "I've never met this woman before. I don't know who she is, or what her problem is with me. She just attacked Artemis and I while we were _walking_ along the beach!"

"Atlanteans are conquerors!" The woman snarled at him, "you are a threat to all free people!"

"Hey, lady, the only I was 'conquering' was my feelings about surface-dwellers," Jackson said, "I was alone on a beach with my friend, not storming the capital with an army. And for what seems to be the millionth time, there is no Atlantis!" 

"Then you do not wield the Trident of Neptune?" The woman asked sardonically, "you are not wearing the battle armour of the Atlantean Kings?"

"Oh," Jackson suddenly said, "you know about the Trident then. That's bothersome."

"Your ancestors used that weapon to nearly conquer the world, Atlantean," the woman said, "if not for the intervention of the gods, perhaps the _whole_ world would have been drowned."

"Depending on who you ask, it already has," Percy shot back, "so just to clarify, you attacked me because of my ancestors? That's a pretty long grudge to hold. Kind of a dick move, too."

"Really?" Jason sighed, "okay, look, I've let this back and forth go along for too long. I don't care why you're fighting. I'd very much like it if you _didn't_, but I'm also smart enough to know that if you want to fight, you're going to fight. Just don't do it in a city."

"You are…this _polis_' guardian?" the woman asked him, "you do not look like a normal man."

"I'm from another planet," Jason told her. "I'm not a normal man. And if you keep putting people at risk, I'll show the both of you exactly how normal I'm _not_."

"Easy there Big Red," Jackson put a hand up, "like I said, I wasn't looking for a fight. I'll go with Artemis back into the ocean. Problem solved."

"No," Jason shook his head, "this needs to be settled. But not here. We need somewhere private."

"I—Tides be damned," Jackson sighed, "I have a place we can go. You'll get wet going there, though."

"Enclosed battle-suit," Jason said, "I can handle wet."

"Water is not an issue," the woman said, "very well, Atlantean. Lead on."

**XXX**

The place he and the woman were led to was a tiny island in the middle of the Pacific. Or rather, it was _under_ a tiny island in the middle of the pacific. Jackson had carried Artemis the entire way, and when he burst out of the water into a cavern, the first thing he did was take her to a bedroom before leaving her there.

"Oh my," an older voice said. Jason turned to see another man, wearing a scaled suit not unlike Jackson's, staring at the woman. "An Amazon. That explains why Percy and Artemis weren't answering. I'm afraid I don't wish to fight you, my dear."

"There'll be no fighting in my cave, please and thank you," Jackson came striding back out. The trident was in his hand, but he rather reverently placed it into the hands of a statue of the god Neptune. "You wanted us to talk, Praetor. Here we are. Let's talk."

He led them into a carved chamber with a large stone table in the middle. The seats were also carved from stone, but a different one than what was in the cave.

"Have business meetings often?" Jason couldn't help the comment, his inner-reporter coming out.

"No, but it's a good place to brainstorm," Jackson said, "it didn't feel right only having three chairs. Sometimes we like to nap in them. Once we made a fort."

"You nap in stone chairs?"

"Is there a reason for this mindless chatter?" The woman asked them, "this is not why I was brought here."

"Actually, I figured the mindless chatter couldn't hurt," Jason said, "you seem to have a preconceived image of Mister Jackson here. Most of the world does, for that matter, but you're the only one to attack him _first_."

"Second to do it, but let's not get into that right now," Jackson muttered.

"He is Atlantean," the woman said as if that explained everything.

"Mister Jackson?"

"Please, Percy," Jack—Percy—shook his head, "I'm not an old man yet. And yeah, I'm Atlantean. Yeah, my people have a history of conquest and imperialism, but what place doesn't? Do you even know when the last time the surface dwellers saw the Atlantean army? I'll give you a hint—it was at least three thousand years ago. My people have stayed away. Stayed hidden."

"And that excuses you for your crimes?"

"What crimes?" Percy cried out, "attacking whalers? They're hunting endangered species. Attacking pirates? I'm saving lives. Or how about the dozen different deep-sea creatures I've prevented from reaching the surface in the past year?"

"Your people—"

"I am not responsible for what my people did in the past!" Percy slammed his fist on the table, cracking the stone. "My ancestors were brutal, warmongering imperialists. They sacked cities and murdered thousands. But my people aren't the only ones who did that. Nations throughout time have done the same thing, and many of them within _recent_ history. My people have kept to themselves. What I do up here isn't a reflection of them—it's a reflection of me."

"Look, Percy is a lot of things, but from everything I've seen, he isn't a bad person," Jason added, "maybe he's made some radical choices, but he's never hurt anyone who didn't deserve it, or who didn't try to hurt him first."

"My people have long been told of the danger of Atlanteans," the woman insisted, "I refuse to believe that they've ceased their ways."

"Believe what you want, sister, but it doesn't take much research to find out that the almost all humans think Atlantis is a myth." Percy told her, "I'm not sorry that I'm not the threat you seem to think I am. I am sorry that you've held onto a grudge thousands of years old. From the records I've read, Atlantis always had cordial ties with the Amazons, even when we were at war. We _did_ return ninety of your prisoners back to your Queen Hippolyta."

"What?" the woman blinked, "you lie!"

"I'm not lying," Percy shook his head, "I was trying to figure out why an Atlantean battle took place at the Acropolis and found written records that we returned ninety captured Amazonians back to Hippolyta in exchange for an equal number of our own warriors. I don't have the files on hand, and I can't get them easily, but they exist."

"Percy?" A groggy voice came from behind them, "who are you talking…to?"

Artemis was leaning against the doorframe, and Percy was at her side in a heartbeat, throwing one of her arms over his shoulders.

"Hey, you shouldn't be up yet," he said. His voice was softer than Jason had ever heard it, and the underlying bite that seemed to be present whenever he spoke was gone as well. "You took some heavy hits, Red. Why don't we go lie down again? I'll make that weird drink you like."

"Why are you talking with the mean lady?" Artemis' words began slurring as Percy led her away, "she hit you!"

"Yeah, I know," Percy's voice began drifting away, so Jason focused his hearing, "but I'm kind of annoying, as you so often tell me. Can you really blame her for wanting to hit me?"

"But…I don't like her hitting you," Artemis sounded confused.

"It's impolite to eavesdrop, you know," the woman drawled, drawing him back to the room, "though I admit, I am gaining a new perspective on this 'Percy' Jackson."

"You're not the only one," Jason admitted, "I know a fair bit about him, but only from other people. Seeing the source in action is…interesting."

"Then…would you tell me of him?" The woman asked quietly, "you were right. I had an image of what the Atlan…what _Percy_ was supposed to be. I listened to tales from long ago and took them to be the entire truth."

"I'm not entirely sure it's my place to do so," Jason sighed, "but I will. Some reporter from _Aquila_ _News_ wrote a major piece on it. Interviewed a lot of people that knew him, so I guess it's not a secret, really."

"Let me save you some trouble, Mister Praetor," the older man interjected, stepping into the room. "My name is Chiron. I am Percy's advisor. Percy was born to a human mother. His father was King of Atlantis. It was a…first for our people Percy is the sum of both worlds, and it shows in his abilities. But that is not what you want to know. You wish to know about Percy himself. Very well. It is not a happy story."

"When Percy was five, his powers began to manifest. He could command sea-life. He was beginning to become stronger than a boy of five should. His mother, not knowing what to do, took him to a man who had once written a thesis on the theory of an Atlantean race. Doctor Fredrick Chase. Doctor Chase helped Percy not only learn to control his abilities but helped him develop them as well. The moment Percy began realising he could do something; Doctor Chase would help him research it as much as possible. There was nothing that he wouldn't believe. Some of their research turned out to be nothing. Some of it turned out to be something. Throughout it all, Doctor Chase became more and more convinced that Percy was a true Atlantean, and that his father's people were hiding beneath the ocean. He decided that it was time for them to reveal themselves."

Chiron's hands tightened around the rim of the table, squeezing hard enough that the cracks Percy made began to expand.

"Percy destroyed his research when he was eighteen. Two weeks later, a man attacked Percy in his home, hired by Fredrick Chase, to get a blood sample and prove once and for all that Atlantis, and Atlanteans, existed. He did not get the blood. He did give Percy's mother a heart attack, and one that led to her death the next day." Chiron sighed deeply, "Percy fled the surface dwellers, and found me. For six months, I told him of our people. Then, we were attacked again. Mercenaries, trying to capture him. We fled to Atlantis next, to the court of King Triton, Percy's brother. For several years, he stayed there, until duty called him to the surface. But despite his growth, Percy still carries a rage, and fear, of surface dwellers for what they did to him. He began attacking whaling ships. Triton decided that he needed help—company. Artemis and I volunteered to help him."

"And the Trident of Neptune?" The Amazon, whose name Jason _still_ didn't know, asked.

"That was…a surprise, if I'm honest. Something had been bothering Percy for several days. His emotions were more pronounced, and he kept complaining about a ringing. Eventually, he simply took off after a rescue, towards a cave. When Artemis arrived, she quickly asked me to come. It was a tomb. Specifically, the Tomb of Atlan."

"Enough, Chiron," Percy's voice was sharp but firm, almost regal in tone, "go make sure Artemis is still in bed. She's concussed and wants to wander."

"My prince," Chiron bowed his head before leaving. The Atlantean replaced him in the room, his face carefully guarded and his heartbeat steady.

"I spoke with the spirit of Atlan," he told them, "and I was gifted the Trident. It's a literal artefact of the gods, and it was bestowed on the Half-Atlantean bastard son of the king. Word of _that_ has already reached Atlantis. I'm sure you can imagine how that made them feel."

"Have you been exiled from your home?" The woman asked.

"More like asked to take a leave of absence," Percy shrugged, "Triton's spies have picked up a lot of talk about me, and he doesn't think it's safe for me to return. So I'm staying on the surface for the foreseeable future. Maybe I'll see you around, Big Red. You too, Xena."

"That is not my name," the woman said.

"Yeah, about that," Jason nodded towards her, "what _is_ your name?"

The woman cocked her head to the side.

"I am Reyna," she introduced herself, "Princess of the Amazons."

"Well, Princess," Percy grinned, "nice to officially meet you. And you too, I guess, Praetor. You don't seem that bad. But uh, please get the hell out of my house. I've got a concussed princess to take care of."

"She is lucky to have you in her life, Percy," Reyna declared, "I was wrong. If all Atlanteans are like you, then they are a race of men better than most."

With that, she left, leaving Percy and Jason alone.

"Are you waiting for a present or something?" Percy asked him.

"No, I…damn it, okay, here's the situation," Jason said, before pulling his mask off, "my name is Jason. I come from the planet Jupiter—not the one here, but one several galaxies away. I'm the last surviving member of my planet."

"Otherwise known as Jason Grace, the intrepid reporter who wrote the news story that some are asking already be written into a biography," Percy told him. "I know who you are. When I heard that a reporter was looking into my life, I went back to the East Coast for a few days. I watched as you interviewed my friends. And then I watched as you flew towards a falling crane in Brooklyn."

Jason leaned back in the chair as a deep breath escaped him.

"Look, Jason or Praetor, I don't know which you prefer," Percy began, "I grew up knowing that even though I was unique, I wasn't _alone_. I knew there was another group of people out there like me. I remember hearing about you, when I was sixteen, which would've made you what, fifteen? The Air Force came after you. I've seen what you can do. It would've been easy as breathing for you to take out your hunters. Instead, you ran away. Not because you were scared, but because you didn't want to _hurt_ them."

"They're just doing their job," he said quietly.

"It's admirable," Percy nodded, "but stupid. They may just be doing their jobs, but the people who command them? Who control them? They want you because they want a _weapon_. You're safe now because you've made yourself too public. It's the same with me. Reyna there will have to do the same thing. People admire us or hate us, but they watch us because we fascinate them. Use that to your advantage."

"I'm not doing this for attention, though."

"Neither am I," Percy shrugged, "but I'd rather have people debating about whether or not I have the right to show up in places like Japan or the Philippines to save hurricane victims than have them debating about whether or not it's okay to have me dissected by government scientists. Keep their focus on what you're doing, not how you're doing it. You'll stay safer that way."

"You're really cynical, you know that, right?"

"Who raised you?" Percy asked him.

"What?"

"You said that you're the last surviving member of the planet, and unless you don't age, you must've grown up on earth. So who raised you?" Percy specified.

"I was adopted by a woman in Northern California," he said, "Juno Olympiad. She uh, passed me off as her son from a one-night stand. We look close enough alike that no one questions it."

"My mother raised me," Percy told him, "she was the best woman in the world. Kind, caring, and so, so loving. She married a horrible man because he could bring money in to support us. But he hit me. And her. We never knew that the other was being hit, and we were staying strong so that way we'd be supported. But one day, she came home, and my step-father was beating me with a fire-iron so that he could do some damage. She screamed at him, and he slapped her. I hit him so hard that I broke half his body. I was _twelve_ at the time. After that, it was hard, but we persevered. When I was eighteen, less than two weeks after graduating, there was a knock on our door. I went to go answer it and got hit in the chest with a battering ram, the kind the police use. My mom came to find out what was going on, and the ram hit her next, sending her flying into the wall. My hearing is better than most, and do you know what I heard? I heard my mom's heart _stop_. I threw the man attacking me out in the ocean and rushed my mother to a hospital. She died the next day."

"Why are you telling me this?" Jason asked him.

"Because it wasn't Atlanteans or aliens who attacked me. It was humans. Surface-dwellers. The man who helped me learn about myself hired that man," Percy said. His tone was calm, his heartbeat was steady, but there was something in his eyes that screamed danger. "We look like them, Jason. We're not them. Remember that."

Jason gave a sharp nod and rose from his seat. The mask slipped back on, and he dove into the water, before flying above the island. He focused his ears and listened closely. He picked up two distinct voices.

**XXX**

_**Percy**_

"You were trying to scare him," Chiron noted.

"No, not scare," Percy shook his head, "I wanted to educate him. He's got a morality that I just…don't have anymore. I care, but it's selective, Chiron, you know this. If I had to choose between the surface world and Atlantis, it wouldn't even be a question for me. But Jason…he's everywhere. You see him in Europe, in Asia, it doesn't matter. He goes where he's needed."

"You're…jealous of that? That he can do things faster than you?"

"I mean, who wouldn't be?" Percy shrugged, "but no, not actively. My life is a mess enough. I was actually talking about how good he'll be. Follow me."

Percy led Chiron into the War Room and pulled up several news articles.

"Read the headlines. Read the stories if you want. Compare the two." Percy knew it wouldn't take Chiron long to figure out what he was talking about. After he had figured out who Jason was, he had done some digging, had read about him, in both his lives. The articles spoke volumes.

**Fish-man attacks innocent sailors!**

**Praetor talks girl off of ledge, catches free-falling helicopter!**

**Perseus Jackson—Criminal Freak or Misguided Victim?**

**Praetor: Hero of San Francisco!**

On and on it went. Percy hadn't been lying when he said that perception was key. If they saw him as a dangerous vigilante, fine, he didn't care, so long as they weren't talking about capturing him again.

"I see," Chiron murmured, "and why are you trying to make Jason see the world differently?"

"Because he needs to, Chiron," Percy replied, "if saving cats and helping old ladies is what he wants to do, then I'm all for it. But he needs to know how perception works. Right now, they don't know he's an alien. I'm pretty sure that he hasn't told anyone but Xena—crap, Reyna, and I. You saw the reactions when people found out I was half-Atlantean, but at least Atlantis is on Earth. Jason, as an alien, could lose their support so much faster."

Chiron was silent for several long moments.

"You have a plan?"

"I do."

"Am I going to _like_ this plan?"

"Probably not."

**MMXIX**

**So this is the first official meeting of the 'Big Three' in this AU. Percy, Jason, and Reyna. There'll be more of them together. Percy is kind of the Batman of the group, because he's more cynical than the others, but that's about as close as that particular comparison will go. Next chapter is Percy, and the one after is checking in with Annabeth to see what she's been up to. As always, leave a review or send me a PM.**

**Cheers, CombatTombat**


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter Fourteen**

_**Percy**_

"Perseus!" Reyna exclaimed excitedly as she entered the cave, "I have tried a new delicacy called 'Ice Cream' and it is most wonderful!"

"Okay, when I brought you here, it was so that we could resolve you trying to kill me," Percy sighed into his hands, "I just didn't expect you to visit me so often."

Artemis elbowed him, gracing the Amazon with a smile.

"I'm glad you've found something you enjoy, Princess," she said, "and ignore Percy's grouchy mood—there's been an upsurge of positive stories about him and it's ruining his bad-boy image."

"I've read some of those!" Reyna nodded, "Aquila News seems to be leading the charge in making you look a better person."

"With star reporter Jason Grace leading the charge," Percy said shaking his head. He hadn't expected Jason to take his message _this_ way, but he had, and as a result, more and more people were starting to hear about the 'good' things he was doing, rather than the morally ambiguous ones they normally focused on.

"What is Ice Cream like?" Artemis asked Reyna, "I've never eaten surface food."

"Oh, it is simply wonderful!" Reyna smiled, "it is unlike anything on Themyscira! A frozen food flavoured in a multitude of ways."

"Yeah, okay, I'm putting my foot down here," Percy said, rising to his feet, "We've been doing this for a year now, and I've not once gotten you Ice Cream? Or any other surface food? Neptune's beard, I've let you down. Come on, we're going to the States."

"What? No! We can't just—just leave! What if we're needed?" Artemis sputtered.

"I can handle anything that may emerge," Chiron offered from his desk, going through several tablets and data-pads, "besides, what harm would one day do?"

"But—" Artemis tried.

"No buts," Percy grinned, yanking her to her feet, "I may not like the surface dwellers, but I _do_ like their food. Care to join us, Reyna?"

"I would like to experience new foods," she nodded, "I will accompany you."

"Percy, we can't just leave!" Artemis protested, "we have responsibilities!"

"And we've been working almost non-stop for a year now, Artemis," Percy told her, "look, think of it this way—the Royal Guard works in twelve cycle shifts, so that they don't burn themselves out. We've done our shift, and now we're off duty. Does that make sense?"

"I understand the concept of leave, thank you," Artemis said pointedly, "I'm just saying, it's not like you to want to take a…a break."

"Even I need downtime, Artemis," he laughed, "just because I look like I can go on forever without any rest, I'd actually really like some peace and quiet."

"But that's unlike you!" Artemis said, "you normally read from the archives!"

"And I've read everything here," he shrugged, arm sweeping across the cave, "until I get another shipment from Atlantis, which isn't scheduled for another three months, I've got zilch. So, we're going to go eat."

"It will be fun!" Reyna added, "I do not know what Atlanteans do for fun, but man's world seems to enjoy simply meandering, or going to entertainment events."

"We do most of the same stuff," Percy told her, "just…underwater. Sometimes it's like everything is upside down—snacks need to be kept in their containers, so you eat from the bottom, so they don't float away. Maybe one day I'll take you to Atlantis."

"I would enjoy that," Reyna nodded, "where shall we go?"

"San Francisco," he said immediately, "I've got some business to attend to there anyway."

"What business could you possibly have in San Francisco?" Artemis frowned at him.

"What is this, the Spanish Inquisition?" He asked her, "it's private, Artemis. Something I need to do on my own."

She narrowed her eyes at him but nodded, letting him be. Percy gave her an easy-going smile and rose from his seat, stretching his arms above his head.

"Come on," he told them, "it'll take us some time to reach San Francisco."

"Perseus," Reyna frowned, "what is a…Spanish Inquisiton?"

"I'll tell you on the way," he grinned. "Let's go!"

**XXX**

Percy wasn't much for dramatic entrances when he could help it, but he always got an amused thrill from watching the faces of surface dwellers when he strode out of the water onto a beach, the moment as they realised exactly who they were staring at, and the expressions that flashed across their face was always a mix between excitement and terror. It's like they didn't know whether or not it was cool that a bona-fide water-breather was strolling among them, or if he was planning on killing them all for the fun of it.

It took twenty minutes for the SWAT team to arrive, swarming around him, which is exactly why he had told Artemis and Reyna to wait behind while he went to the city. It took another forty for the mayor of San Francisco to meet with him.

"I apologise for the…welcome, you received, Mister Jackson," the mayor said, "I'm sure you can understand why we're so nervous."

"Not really," Percy shrugged, reclining back into the seat he had been offered, "I haven't done anything to Americans as far as I know. Just criminals."

"And whalers," one of the mayor's aides said.

"Criminals," Percy nodded, "I mean, what else would you call people trying to perpetuate genocide?"

"That's—" the aide began, but the mayor raised a hand.

"Not why we're here, Mister Jackson," he said, "we'd just like to know what brought you to our city again. The last time you were here, some damage was caused."

"Not my fault, and a total misunderstanding on the other party's end," he said, "and I'm here because I wanted Ice Cream."

"What?"

"Ice Cream," Percy repeated, slower this time, enunciating each word, "dessert food, it's eaten cold, has different flavours?"

"You swam from the Pacific Ocean to get Ice Cream?"

"Trust me, there's only so much sea-food even I can handle," he told them, "look, I really could not care less about causing trouble in your city. I just want to get Ice Cream and talk to that reporter who wrote the article about me."

"Why?"

"Because it's the first article that was written about _me_, and not what I am," he sighed, "memories that I'd forgotten or repressed were brought to the surface. I'd like to thank him."

"For bringing up repressed memories?"

"For reminding me that I had _good ones_." Percy rose from his seat.

"Sometimes I forget that you were raised human," the mayor said.

"I wasn't _raised_ human, mister mayor," Percy told him, "I am biologically indistinguishable from a human. I don't have scales, or fins. Yes, my body has adapted to handle crushing depths and to breath underwater but I'm still _human_. I'm just not a _homo sapiens_. Do you understand what I mean?"

"No, not really," the mayor shrugged, "I'll just take you at your word."

"That's fair enough. Am I free to go?"

"Yes, the city of San Francisco has no issues with you. The government of the United States, however, I can't speak for."

"Not many can, mister mayor," Percy nodded, "oh, by the way, I have two companions that will be joining me. They'll be on their best behaviour."

"I—what?"

"Thanks for the chat!" he called over his shoulder, before striding out of the mayor's office, into the streets of San Francisco. He activated his comm unit and listened to the conversation that Artemis and Reyna were having for a moment before speaking up. "We're cleared for Ice Cream," he told them, "I'll meet you at Pier 39 after I'm done."

"_Are you sure you don't want backup?_"

"I'm not fighting off an army, Artemis, I'm having a conversation with a reporter. I'll be fine. Go enjoy ice cream with Reyna." He laughed, "seriously, I don't want to see you sneaking around nearby."

"…_Fine,_" she conceded, "_but if you're not back within an hour—_"

"Two hours," he corrected her, "then you can come looking for me. But only _after_ two hours."

"_You're very stubborn, did you know that?_" Artemis sighed.

"Well, I've spent enough time around you to pick it up, I guess," he said, "I'll talk to you later. Have fun."

"_I'd say you too, but we both know your idea of fun is dangerous._"

He snorted but ended the call, turning to glance around the city. There was a police cordon separating a combination of oglers, protesters, and reporters from being able to approach him, and Percy was more than aware of what he must've looked like, standing in San Francisco, wearing scale-mail, with a trident slung over his back. True that they had Jason—Praetor—but he was a constant fixture in their lives at this point. Percy was new. Unknown.

His eyes finally settled on a building in the distance. He narrowed his eyes, squinting at the sign embossed at the top of the building. _Aquila News_. That's where he was going. Percy planted his feet firmly in the ground before launching himself upwards, his muscles, now unrestricted by the crushing pressure of the depths, sending him hundreds of feet in the air. He ran along the side of a building for a few steps before kicking off again, landing with a roll at the base of the news headquarters. A couple people outside scattered at his landing, one lady letting out an undignified screech. Percy rolled his eyes and walked into the lobby of the building, where a man was flirting with the secretary, unsuccessfully. She looked up to see who had entered and her eyes went as wide as saucers.

"Hi there," he waved. "I'm looking for Jason Grace. Know where I can find him?"

"Oh. Uh. He's on the thirteenth floor," she said, "you're not going to…hurt him, are you?"

At that, the annoyed man turned to see who had interrupted his flirting session. Percy stared at him for a few moments, and the man left, citing 'work' that he needed to do.

"No, I'm not going to hurt him," he answered, "I just want to talk."

"Okay, then, yeah, thirteenth floor," she told him, "and, uh, thanks for scaring Davis off. He just won't take a hint."

"My advice? Next time he doesn't 'take a hint' punch him right here," Percy motioned to his throat, "drop him like a sack of potatoes."

"What?"

"He's harassing you," Percy told her, "drop him. He'll leave you alone. Thanks for the help."

By the time Percy exited onto the Thirteenth Floor, Jason was leaning against the wall, talking to a woman, but the way his eyes kept flickering towards the elevator told Percy that he had known he was coming.

"Holy—" someone cried out as Percy walked out. The woman Jason was talking to turned to see what the commotion was.

"Jason Grace," Percy grinned, "I hear you're quite the expert of my life story."

"You—you're—what?" The woman stuttered, "you don't _leave_ the ocean!"

"Says who?" he snorted, "people who don't know a single thing about me? I spent the first eighteen years of my life living on land, a few hours aren't going cause me to wither and die. But I'm not here to talk to you, lady."

"My name is Piper, thank you very much."

"Yeah, whatever. Grace, got a place we can talk in private?"

"Only if you give me an interview," Jason shot back.

"Sure," he agreed easily, "you've seemed to make it your life's ambition to write about me, so I don't see why not. Maybe I'll get royalties when you publish your biography of me."

"There's a meeting room," Jason told him, "it's private, and no one can listen in," he gave a pointed look to all his co-workers, as if saying, _this is my source and I'm claiming him now_. Percy chuckled as Jason led him into the room in question. Then the amiable reporter vanished.  
"What are you doing here?"

"Well," Percy drawled, "someone decided to start the 'Percy Jackson fan-club', and I figured I should make an appearance. By the way, I've heard a new nickname on the grapevine. Riptide. That you?"

"Ah, no, that one was Piper, actually," Jason rubbed the back of his neck, "she snuck into a prison and interviewed a couple of the smugglers you took down a few months ago. They said it was like their ship had been caught in a riptide, and then you were suddenly there. She pounced on it."

"She snuck into a _prison_?" Percy blinked, "that's hardcore, man."

"We're reporters, we do what we need to do for the story," Jason said, "speaking of stories…"

"If I'm in town, you can interview me," he laughed, before cocking his head to the side, "who interviews Praetor here?"

"Uh…Piper does," Jason rubbed the back of his neck again, "I don't know how she gets to accident scenes so fast, but she does."

"Sounds like someone has an admirer," he teased, before glancing at the clock on the wall. "You've got me for another hour and a half before Artemis comes looking for me. That enough time for an interview?"

"Yeah, that's plenty of time," the reporter said, "do you mind starting at the beginning of this…crusade of yours?"

Percy shrugged, and began answering the questions as they came. He didn't really care for the good press he'd get for this, but he'd rather that it was Jason who was putting the information out than someone else. At least Jason understood what it was like for Percy, in his own way.

"_You've got fifteen minutes,_" Artemis warned him in his ear. Percy noticed the way that Jason blinked and looked around a moment, before his gaze settled on the ear the comm piece was in. Percy kept his expression neutral but filed that particular information away for later research.

"Look, this has been great, but I've got some friends to meet with," he said casually, "till next time, Grace."

"Until next time," Jason shook his hand, "good luck with…everything, I guess."

"Appreciate it."

Percy stepped out of the door and was immediately confronted with the flash from several cameras. His hand immediately went in front of his face, and without really thinking, a low growl escaped his throat.

"Ease up on the flashes, boys," the woman from before, Piper, scolded, "that man can bench-press an oil tanker, I'm not sure you want him angry at you."

"I'd listen to the lady," he warned them, "I'm known to be temperamental at the best of times. And you're keeping me from meeting with a friend who doesn't like being stood up. If I'm not there in," he checked the clock, "ten minutes, chances are she'll be _here_, and I doubt much of your office would be left afterwards."

"Got yourself an Amazon, huh?" Piper grinned at him.

"No," he shook his head, "but she might come too if Artemis asks politely, and then you wouldn't have much of a _building_ left."

"Wait, wait, wait," Piper grabbed his arm, "you're friends with the Amazon? Didn't she try to kill you like, two months ago?"

"Please let go of my arm," Percy said softly. It took her a moment, but when she realised that he had only issued half of his intended statement, she did so quickly. "You said it yourself—I can bench-press an oil tanker. Don't touch me without my permission."

**XXX**

He reached the pier with forty seconds left, and immediately found an unamused Artemis ringed by cops, while Reyna pointed at a pile of men clutching various parts of their body. He let out a deep sigh as he approached, the crowd parting before him.

"Okay, why was _I_ the one warned not to get in trouble?" He asked as he pushed past several police officers. One of them reached out to stop him, but his partner grabbed the arm before he could. "What happened?"

"Uh, we're still trying to figure it out, Mister Riptide, sir," one of the officers said, "but from what we've gathered, these men made some…unwanted advances against the women. They reacted…rapidly."

"There's unwanted advances and then there's unwanted _contact_," Artemis snarled, "I can handle advances. I will not tolerate unwanted men touching me."

Percy stilled immediately, and Artemis seemed to realise that the situation had changed immediately.

"They touched you?" Percy could feel his temper rising, "the both of you?"

"No, my sword kept them at bay," Reyna shook her head, "these men were rather drawn to Artemis' scale-mail and hair."

"Is that so?" He asked, turning to the men, who were being tended to by paramedics. "Each of them touched you, Artemis?"

"Yes," she said, placing a hand on his arm, "the matter has been resolved, Percy. Let it go."

He ignored her, striding up the men, who were looking anywhere but at him.

"Give me a rundown of their injuries," he told the paramedics.

"Uh, these two have broken hands, this one has a cracked rib, and that one was lucky—his wrist was only sprained," the female paramedic spoke without looking up from where she was wrapping a man's torso, pointing at the man at the edge of the group.

"Percy—" Artemis called his name out, pausing when he glanced over his shoulder at her, and thankfully, she didn't say anymore. She knew she wouldn't be able to talk him down.

"So you think it's okay to touch women even when they don't want you to?" He asked the man, who still wasn't looking at him. "Look at me when I speak. I won't ask again."

The man resisted for a moment, but when Percy took a step closer, he looked up.

"I—I'm sorry man but look at what she's wearing! I just…how couldn't I?" the man tried to explain. It didn't help his cause.

"Which wrist was sprained?" He asked the paramedic again. This time, she looked up. She caught the look in his eyes and hesitated.

"The…the left wrist," she told him, "but I just finished wrapping it and—"

She was cut off by the man crying out in pain as Percy grasped his right wrist and squeezed it, the bone cracking in his grasp.

"Next time don't touch a lady without her permission," Percy spat. He turned back to the paramedic. "Sorry about the extra work."

He began walking back to Artemis and Reyna when he heard the tell-tale sound of a gun being cocked.

"Stop right there, sir," a voice said from behind him, "that's assault."

He turned to see several men in tactical gear with rifles pointed at him, and two men in suits beginning to approach him. They flashed badges as they approached, as if that would make him care more.

"Am I supposed to be intimidated?" Percy asked them as they came to a stop, "I've been shot at before. Didn't take."

"Regardless, you can't just attack people because they touched your girlfriend, or whatever, so you're going to need to—"

"I'm going to stop you right there," Percy said, raising his hand, "I don't _need_ to do anything I don't want to, and you sure as hell can't _make_ me do anything I don't want to. So pack up your little rodeo and go back to whichever agency or company it is that wants me and tell them it isn't going to happen."

The two men exchanged looks, and one of them pulled handcuffs from a pouch on his belt.

"All right, you're clearly not listening to me being diplomatic, so I'll give you a warning instead," Percy told them, "if you even _try_ to put those handcuffs on me, I'll throw you into the ocean and call the nearest sharks over for a feeding. How does that sound?"

"Sir, there's no need to be belligerent with us," the other agent tried.

"You've got men pointing guns at him," Reyna noted dryly, "I believe a belligerent attitude would not be out of place."

"We'll get to you next, ma'am," the agent said, "but right now—"

"Didn't I ask that you not cause trouble in my city?" Jason was floating above them in his costume, and he began lowering himself down to the ground, "and yet here we are."

"Not my fault your city has degenerates who put their hands on women without invitation and government stooges who still want me for themselves," Percy shrugged, "we were about to leave anyway."

"You broke that man's wrist," Jason told him, glancing over at the still whimpering moron, "in three different places, actually. And his other wrist is sprained."

"Well at least he knows not to touch women anymore," he said, "honestly, I thought that you scared the scum of the earth enough that they weren't dumb enough to do anything in this city?"

"I'm not infallible," Jason shook his head, the eyes of his mask narrowing at the agents. "Go back to the ocean, Riptide. I'll talk with these men."

"Gladly," Percy said, "have fun, Praetor. Don't do anything I'd do."

Percy launched himself upwards into the air, coming down several hundred feet away in the water. A moment later, Artemis came splashing down, shooting under the water beside him. She swam to his side, before punching him in the arm.

"That was unnecessary," she told him with a glare.

"They touched you," Percy said, "they're lucky I didn't kill them."

"I can fight my own battles," she scowled, before her features softened. She glanced around before placing a kiss on his cheek. "But thank you."

"Well if I knew that was the thanks I'd get, I'd have done it sooner," he grinned, "come on, let's get back to Chiron so I can get the lecture out of the way."

"It's only because he cares, Percy," Artemis told him, "you know that."

"I do," he nodded.

He started swimming back towards the island, Artemis by his side.

That, at least, gave him comfort.

**MMXIX**

**So no ice cream for Percy, but Artemis and Reyna did get to try it! This was more for Percy to become less of the 'vigilante' and more of the ambiguous hero that most will see him as from now on. While before there were questions about what he was doing when he wasn't taking on whalers, people now know that he's dealing with smugglers and traffickers and pirates, so his reputation is getting better, courtesy of Jason—hence the visit to him at work. Next chapter is Annabeth, and we'll see what she's been up to in the year since she was interviewed by Jason and the others. That brings me back to age. The last time I talked about age was a couple chapters ago, and a year has passed since then in story, so everyone is a year older. Boom. Math.**

**Cheers, CombatTombat**


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter Fifteen**

_**Annabeth**_

"…_and in more 'super' news, the hero Praetor was seen negotiating with government agents in San Francisco after an incident with Percy Jackson, more popularly known as Riptide, after an incident on Pier 39_," the news reporter said, "_our own Jackie Wilson was there on the scene._"

Annabeth glanced up from her work-desk, focusing entirely on the TV, where a new lady had taken the place of the anchors, standing at the pier in question.

"_Thanks Rebecca,_" she said, "_the incident occurred at two-thirty this afternoon, when, after Mister Jackson entered the Aquila News building, a group of men approached the two women who had accompanied him, one of whom had been seen with him many times over the past year. The other was none other than the Princess Reyna of the Amazons, who only two months ago assaulted Jackson and his cohort when they were in San Francisco. The two seemed to enjoying the pier when the men approached them. Witnesses claim that the men made several lewd comments and even touched Jackson's companion, at which point both women leapt into action, throwing them across the pier,_" the report was shown at the same time as amateur footage, showing the redhead in the green scale piece throwing a man over her shoulder into the side of a food-cart, "_shortly after, Jackson himself arrived. Since we were on the scene, we managed to get our own footage of what followed. Be warned, while the footage is not disturbing itself, it is not for the light-hearted either._"

The footage went from amateur to quality, and Annabeth put all her attention on the screen. Percy was talking with several officers, as well as his companions as the cameraman weaved his way through the crowd so he could be closer, still somehow managing to focus on her old friend.

"…_they touched you?_" she heard him ask, "_the both of you_?"

The Amazon shook her head, touching her pommel as she explained that they left her alone, and if anything, that seemed to make Percy even angrier. He approached the paramedics treating the men, questioning them on the injuries. When the last man was revealed to only have a sprained wrist, Annabeth just _knew _it wasn't going to end well. Percy had always been quick to defend women, but she knew that especially more recently, he had been incredibly quick to anger.

He grabbed the man's undamaged wrist and squeezed. Annabeth heard the crack through the camera, and the way the man howled in pain left no question as to what he had done. She let out a sigh, before returning her focus to the documents in front of her.

"He's far angrier than ever," her father noted, passing another stack of papers to her, "and especially defensive of that woman. It's not the first time he's lost his anger over her."

"Well we all know why he has a temper," she gave her father a pointed look, "and he's always been protective of those he cares about."

"Even working together, you still haven't forgiven me," Dad sighed, "you're much like your mother."

"Just because I can acknowledge that I need your help doesn't mean that I have to forgive you for what you did," she told him, "Percy was my best friend. Sally was like a second mother to me. You drove him away and because of you, his mother died. I'm using you, dad. Don't think that I've just decided to let bygones be bygones."

"Very well," he said, "what have you discovered?"

"Well, I've got an incredibly vague reference of 'the seven-kingdoms' from a scrap of a tablet found in a dig in Crete. But without the rest of the tablet, I don't have any context."

"I'll put some feelers out with my contacts, see if they can't find out if the rest of the tablet was uncovered," Dad said, "until then, I believe that you have a job interview in an hour?"

"That was yesterday," Annabeth reminded him, "I'm waiting to find out if I even _got_ the job."

"SolTech would be foolish not to hire you," Dad waved dismissively, "I know architecture was your dream, but the mechanical engineering degree you've gotten will do far more for you in the real world."

Annabeth held back the retort she wanted to give. Her father, a _historian_, was lecturing her about having a relevant degree. But she didn't give into the temptation, because her father, the historian, had been right about something everyone told him he was wrong about—Atlantis existed, and the boy that used to be her best friend was one of them. So if he wanted to play the 'real-world degree' card, she would let him. It wasn't any skin off of her back.

"Okay, and what about the dig from Spain?" Dad asked her, "there was a mention of an ancient kingdom in the tablets there, wasn't there?"

"A hoax, unfortunately," she shook her head, "someone trying to make money off of the myth. It was very clever, but they used a dialect of Greek way too late to be from the period it claimed to be."

"That's a shame," Dad sighed, tapping away on his laptop. A moment later, he closed it, and leaned back in his chair. "I've emailed my contacts in Greece and Santorini. They should get back to us within a few weeks with an update. Until then, keep working the SolTech angle. That job would be amazing for you, Annabeth."

"Again, I'm waiting on them, dad, not the other way around," she said. "I'm meeting Grover this evening. Don't wait up."

Her father grunted in acknowledgment, and she held in a sigh. The commute back to her apartment was boring as always, and once she'd finished getting ready, she went to the café where she'd meet Grover.

Their meetings had started a year prior when she first arrived in San Francisco. Grover had been part of a climate change protest group—still was, actually—and she had reached out to him. At first, it was because she needed a familiar face while she was in a new city, but then, it had become something else. It was a tie to a time when they both had Percy.

Grover and Juniper were already seated in their booth, the one they go to every Friday at seven. They were chatting among themselves, cute as always, and Annabeth was hit by a pang of loneliness. She knew that if she had been more observant, and if her father hadn't been so stupid, that Percy would be right here with them. He'd never have let them go to San Francisco without following them. He'd probably have ended up as a marine biologist or something stupid like that, and he'd be sitting in that booth, arm slung around her shoulder as he laughed with them.

Instead, she slid into the booth with them and joined the conversation. It's about everything and nothing at once, and Annabeth is glad for the monotony of it. She lets the couple tell her about their latest protest, about the damage that corporations and governments are doing to the earth. It's nothing she hasn't heard a dozen times from them before, but each time she does, they become more and more passionate. Annabeth doesn't blame them—mankind _is_ ruining the globe, but there's nothing they can do. Sooner or later, Grover and Juniper are going to crash and burn. Or even worse, they're going to make an enemy that they can't fight. She's listening politely as Juniper tells her about the oil drilling that's been going on in the Pacific, and Annabeth had heard of it, but she's more than surprised when she says,

"…and the only reason they haven't started again is because Percy keeps sinking the rigs," Annabeth's eyes shot wide open then, and her attention is entirely on Juniper. Her new focus doesn't go unnoticed. "Oh wow, after years of Percy being the one with the Annabeth complex, it's really weird to see _you_ with the Percy complex."

"I don't know what you're talking about," she grumbled. "I _don't_ have a Percy complex."

"Yes, you do, Annabeth," Grover told her, "you listen because you're our friend, but the moment we mention Percy, we have your focus. Just the mere mention of him is enough to have you one hundred percent focused on us. So, are we going to talk about it, or are we going to keep pretending you aren't working with your dad to find out everything you can about Percy and 'Atlantis?'"

"What?" She blinked three times as Grover just leaned onto the table.

"Oh, come on, Annabeth," he shook his head, "you've been here a year and you only applied for a job with SolTech a month ago. That means for eleven months, you were doing something else. The only other reason you'd be here is because this is where your dad is. And the only reason you'd go to your dad—"

"Is to find out more about Percy," Juniper finished for him. "We're not stupid, Annabeth. We protest damage to the environment, but to do that, we have to find out it's happening. We just…focused on you a little. It didn't take long to figure out what you were doing."

"That's—"

"Please don't lie to me, Annabeth," Grover told her, "we've been friends since we were seven. It'd be insulting."

"Fine. Yes, I'm working with my dad to find out anything I can about Percy's people," she admitted, "because if you can tell when I'm lying, you damn well can tell when Percy is. And so can I. I've seen him lie every time someone asks him about Atlantis, and I want to know why."

Grover just looked disappointed.

"Annabeth, you're one of my oldest friends and I love you dearly," he began, "and you're horribly wrong. You do realise that this research of yours could hurt Percy, right?"

"How? She demanded, "if there's an entire race of people like him, they can help him!"

"Yeah, that's true enough," Grover nodded, "if the nations of the world don't try to nuke it into oblivion. You saw what happened when people found out Percy was different. They went after him. Imagine a whole nation of people like that. Imagine the fear it would cause. Right now, people are willing to tolerate Percy because one, there's been good press about him recently, and two, because of people like Praetor and that Amazonian princess. That would change in a heartbeat. Percy would be hunted down, until there was nowhere left to hide. Is that what you really want?"

"I want the truth," she said softly, "that's all I ever wanted from Percy. I knew something was different about him. He was always so…so withdrawn. The only time I ever saw him really smile was when he was in the water. Even I could never get him to smile like he did there. He confided in Beckendorf, in Sally, even in my own father. But never me."

"Annabeth, if you think for a moment that Percy didn't tell you because he didn't trust you, than you've lost your damn mind," Grover told her, keeping his voice low, "Percy didn't tell you because he was _scared_. Even I can see that now. Yeah, he was withdrawn, because he didn't want anyone to think he was some freak. He confided about his _feelings_ with Charles. His mother knew what he was from the start, and he trusted your father to help him learn to fit in. But he chose to be your friend. He chose to be your confidant. He chose _you_, Annabeth, and you're going to repay him by making things worse?"

Annabeth didn't answer. She placed forty dollars on the table and left. She hadn't come for a lecture, and she sure as hell wasn't going to stay for one. Neither Grover nor Juniper called out to her. She was fine with that. She hailed a cab back to her apartment and collapsed into her bed. The fact that Grover thought it was okay to confront her made her mad, but she couldn't really blame him. She wasn't too blind to see that she was falling into a similar pattern as her father had.

Unlike him, however, she wouldn't let herself get overtaken by it. She knew better than that.

**XXX**

Four days later found her with a new job to start the next week, and a pile of papers her father wanted her to comb through. Her job with SolTech was with the Research and Development team, and the project she had been put on was part of a larger program of alternative-energy solutions. The project leader was nice enough and more than happy to have another engineer on the team, so at least Annabeth knew she wasn't going to be unappreciated.

She was walking down the hall to her apartment when her phone rang. She glanced at it, and seeing her dad's contact, picked up.

"Hey, look, dad, I'm almost back to my apartment, so I haven't had time to look at the papers you sent me and—"

"_Annabeth, someone ransacked my office,_" he interrupted, "_it was flooded._"

"What?" She breathed out. His office was miles from the coast. Who could have—? She didn't finish the thought. She knew exactly who. "Percy."

"_That's my theory,_" her father confirmed, "_I don't know how he found out, but thankfully I had backed up everything at a secondary site. I'm on my way there now. Just…be careful._"

"Will do, dad," she said before hanging up. She unlocked her door and entered the apartment. The light in her living room was on, and she frowned as she tried to remember why she hadn't turned it off when she left. She placed her bag down and walked into the room before coming to a stuttering halt.

Seated casually in her second favourite chair, trident leaning against the armrest was none other than Percy Jackson.

"Hello, Annabeth," he greeted her neutrally, "I think it's time we had a talk."

"Did you flood my dad's office?" She asked him first, deciding not to pull her punches. "Because that's a crime."

"Wouldn't be the first time I trashed his things," he said, a sardonic smile crossing his features, "but no I wasn't the one who introduced the Chase _family_ research outpost to the underwater community."

Oh, he was _not_ happy with her. This was bad.

"Your friend, then," she guessed, "the redhead?"

"Smart girl," he nodded, "yeah, Artemis was more than eager to drown that particular monster. Lucky for you, too, otherwise she'd be here, and this conversation would be less than civil."

"Can't control your girlfriend, huh?" She sat down across from him; arms crossed. He seemed completely at ease despite having broken into her apartment. Then again, she had seen him toss men like they were tennis balls. There probably wasn't much that would scare him anymore. "I could call the police."

"You could," he agreed, "but you don't want anyone getting hurt, so you won't. You may have changed, Annabeth, but not that much."

"You have, though," she noted, "you wouldn't have hurt a fly when we were younger."

"Yeah, but my mother was alive to tell me it was wrong back then," he said, his eyes cold and his tone cool. "When we lose our moral compass, it becomes so much easier to make certain decisions. Like flooding your dad's lab. Or breaking into your apartment."

"So what?" She frowned, "you came to threaten me? Force me to give up everything I have here?"

"Nah," he gave her a lazy grin, head rolling to the side. It was a painfully familiar gesture. "I came here to tell you to stop. You can keep whatever you have now. It's probably not a lot compared to the lab and backup site your dad had. Both of which are gone, by the way. He won't get there in time to recover anything."

"How did you—"

"Well one, I have enhanced hearing," he told her, tapping his ears, "I heard the phone call. Two, I already knew it existed. What, did you think I was just going to rampage in without doing a little investigation of my own? Artemis took the main lab, and a friend of mine took the backup. And here I am, talking to my childhood best friend, trying to figure out _why_ she would do this to me."

"Tell me Atlantis is real," she said instead, "and that you've been lying to everyone."

"Okay," Percy leaned forward, "Atlantis is real, and I've been lying to everyone. If anyone was going to see through it, it's you. I've been there. I lived with them for a while, which is how I met Artemis, actually. As well as my half-brother, who's the King of Atlantis and my half-sister whom I adore. And then I left to ensure that they weren't found. Funny how things turn out, huh?"

"Why lie about it?"

"Mostly because I don't want anyone bombing it," Percy shrugged. The scaled armour he wore wasn't like anything Annabeth had ever seen before. It was moulded to his frame and moved more like a shirt than armour. The trident he kept within a hair's distance was also unlike anything she had ever seen. "And because I don't want people looking for it. Surface-dwellers are…different from Atlanteans at every level."

"You're a surface-dweller," she pointed out, "you lived with us longer than them."

"No, I'm a half-breed," he laughed, but there was no humour in it. "If I asked you to drop the research, would you?"

"Would _you_, if you were in my place?" She challenged. He just looked disappointed in her.

"I wouldn't have started in the first place," Percy said with a shake of his head. "You know, I wasn't surprised when I was told that Fredrick Chase had started his research into me again—I had expected it to happen—but I was sure as hell shocked when _your_ name popped up."

"I needed the truth," she told him. "You never gave it to me, so I had to look for it myself."

"Is…is that what this is about?" He asked her, and for the first time, his guarded expression dropped, and he just looked…_sad_. "Because I never told you what I really was? Gods, Annabeth, I wanted to. So many times. I'd look at you, and I saw my best friend in the whole entire world, and I was _lying_ to her face every day. Your father was the one who told me I shouldn't. He said it would change our relationship irreparably, and that there was no coming back from it."

"So what? Of course our relationship would have changed, but at least we'd have been truthful with one another! I could've _helped_ you! But instead, I had to find out like everyone else because—because—" She gestured inarticulately, angry more than anything else.

"Because I was too scared, Annabeth," Percy finished softly, "I was _scared_ of who I was. I felt like I didn't belong anywhere. With anyone. I trusted one man, and it was the _wrong_ man. Sometimes I think about it. If you had known, would you have been able to talk him out of hiring that mercenary? Could you have made a difference? I don't know. I don't think so."

"Well we won't know now," she said pointedly, "too late for regrets."

Percy just nodded silently, his fingers drumming on the shaft of the trident.

"Your dad has guessed that I'm here," he said after a moment. "There's a SWAT team inbound to arrest me. The city's issued a warrant for my arrest. And to think that we were getting along so well."

"Are you going to let them?" She asked, "arrest you, that is?"

"Nah, that'd cause an even bigger issue," Percy shook his head, "one I don't think the world is quite ready for. Take care, Annabeth. Don't make me visit you again."

"No promises," she muttered as he climbed out the window, pausing slightly. Then he kept moving. She heard him drop the four stories to the ground and then heard a _whoosh_ as he leaped into the air, a blur of orangey-gold her only indicator that he had jumped.

Ten minutes later, there was frantic knocking on her door. She opened it to find a fully armed SWAT team standing outside, battering ram ready to go.

"Evening gentlemen," she said, "is there a problem?"

"We received word that Perseus Jackson might be here," the lead officer said, "and that he could be dangerous. He and his compatriots attacked two locations related to your family. Have you seen him?"

"Yes, he was here not too long ago," she said, "we had a nice, civil conversation. You can put the guns away, please."

"Ma'am, we need to be sure that you're safe," the officer told her, glancing over her shoulder, "do you mind if we sweep the apartment?"

"I'm perfectly fine, thank you," she said, "I don't need you tearing through my place."

"Ma'am—"

"Respectfully, officer, I'm not letting you in here. If you have a warrant, then feel free to go through my apartment. Percy's not here," she told them bluntly, "now I'm tired, and I want to go to sleep. Good evening."

"I—yes ma'am," the officer sighed, "if you feel unsafe, don't hesitate to call."

"I won't, but I appreciate the offer," she said. She closed the door, and leaned her forehead against it, letting out a long, drawn-out breath.

Of all the god-forsaken people to seek her out, it just had to be the one person who had been on her mind for the past seven years. It had to be karma. She made her way to the kitchen and began the process of making a PB&J. That was exactly the kind of thing she needed at the moment. She heard her phone ringing in the next room and dashed to get it, before picking up.

"_Annabeth, sweetie, are you okay?_" Her dad asked frenetically, "_Percy didn't hurt you, did he?_"

"No, dad, we just…talked," she said. "I think he just wanted to scare you."

"_But not you?_" The question was a loaded one.

"I think we all know that Percy wouldn't hurt me," she told him, "I'm sorry he got your research. I don't even know how he found out."

"_A question for another day_," Dad sighed, "_you just talked? Did he…did he tell you about Atlantis?_"

Annabeth considered her answer for a moment.

"No," she lied, "he didn't."

**MMXIX**

**Tada.**

**Cheers, CombatTombat**


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter Sixteen**

_**Percy**_

"You told her the truth!" Artemis jammed her finger into Percy's chest, "that can be used to reveal Atlantis!"

"But she _won't_," Percy replied, taking her hand into his own and moving it away. "I know Annabeth almost as well as I know myself. She'll keep the information to herself because one, I asked her to, and two, we had a heart to heart about me not telling her the truth, and she at least understands my reasons, even if she doesn't agree with them. I can't expect you to understand, but I hope that you at least _trust_ me."

"I do trust you, it's _her_ that I don't trust!" Artemis sighed, "Percy, she's looking into Atlantis along with her father, the same one who_ exposed _you to the world."

"I'm very well aware what her father did, Artemis, and I sure as hell don't need _you_ to remind me of that," he snapped back. She flinched back in surprise, and he let out a deep sigh. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have gotten upset."

"No, it was…fair, I suppose," his friend admitted, "my comment was unwarranted."

"But your concerns aren't," he conceded, "I made a big decision without asking you or Chiron your opinions. Whatever blowback occurs will land on me."

"If you say so," she didn't sound convinced, but let him be.

The rest of their swim back to the cave was quiet, not even idle chatter amongst themselves, and Percy began the think that maybe there was something else at play here than just his decision to confirm Atlantis' existence to Annabeth. Artemis was rarely one to let any fights between them linger, but here she was, isolating herself. Something had changed over the past three weeks, and he wasn't entirely sure what it was. It had started just after the pier incident, he knew that at least. Chiron greeted them when the returned, but while Percy returned the greeting, Artemis nodded in acknowledgement and made her way to her room.

"Is she upset with you?" Chiron frowned.

"I thought so at first, but I think there's something else," he shrugged, "if she wants to tell us, she will. But…do you know if she's received any communication from Atlantis or her family?"

"That would mean I was spying on all incoming transmissions, Percy," Chiron said, but at his prolonged stare, sighed, "one call from Olympus, a few hours before you left for this task."

"Thank you," he said, "and stop observing the calls."

"Triton ordered me—"

"Stop," Percy repeated, "Triton can talk with me if he wants to know what's going on here."

"Percy, he's still king."

"And I'm still not allowed to go home because of both the publicity I now have and because I found the Trident!" he exclaimed, "so I have a little more leeway than most, Chiron!"

Chiron's eyes widened fractionally, and his gaze went over Percy's shoulder. It didn't take a genius to figure out why.

"You've been banished?" Artemis spun him around, jamming a finger in his chest, "and you never told me?" 

"I wasn't banished," he moved her hand, "I was told that due to the political tensions, it was 'advisable that Prince Perseus remain away from the Seven Kingdoms for some time' so I stayed away."

"You said you wanted to stay!"

"Look, Artemis, I'm _really_ not in the frame of mind to get into an argument with you, especially because you seem to have an issue with me at the moment," Percy raised his hands, "I'm going to go for a swim."

"No, you're not," she grabbed his arm, "I _don't_ have an issue with you!"

"Then why are you on such a short fuse with me?" He demanded, "why is it every time you look at me you can't decide between anger and something else?"

"I'm going to walk away now," Chiron offered.

"No, you're not!" Both he and Artemis yelled, and the advisor froze in place.

"I don't have an issue with you," Artemis repeated, "and maybe the reason I've been so short with you is because you've been particularly infuriating!"

"Oh, please, this happened in the past three weeks, and I know for a fact I haven't done anything to provoke this from you!" He threw his hands up in the air, "so either be honest with me or be honest with yourself!"

"You want honesty then?" She shot back.

"I want to leave." Chiron informed them.

"Stay!" Both voices were turned on him again for a moment.

"Yes, I want honesty!"

"Then the honest truth is that Triton made an offer for my hand again, and my father accepted!" Artemis told him. Percy went still, and Chiron recoiled in surprise. 

"What?"

"You were wondering what was bothering me? That's it! I'm going to marry Triton. I found out earlier today, but I was told it was a possibility a few weeks ago."

Percy slowly removed Artemis grip on his arm, and she didn't stop him.

"I'm going for a swim," he said again, walking off the edge of the stone into the water. He sunk to the bottom and made his way out of the flooded tunnel and found himself in the open ocean. His eyes scanned from east to west before he made a decision.

**XXX**

He knew he would end up in Atlantis. It took him hours, but in the end, there was no other place he could have—or would have—gone. What was either an honour guard or an arresting force of fifty Royal Guardsmen began swimming towards him.

"Prince Perseus," the lead guard greeted him, "we weren't told you were returning to the city."

"It was a spontaneous decision," he replied easily, "is my brother busy?"

"The King is meeting with his council," the guard said, "but we were instructed to take you to him if you asked."

"Consider this me asking, then," Percy began swimming past him, "let's go."

He got a lot of looks as he swam past, and there were more whispers than he cared for once the trident on his back was sighted. People began kneeling as he swam past, which he also didn't care for. He knew it was protocol, but it had seemed to be one most Atlanteans didn't care about until he had a magical artefact with him. It became a little better once he entered the palace, but even then, the courtiers were just as awed by the weapon.

"Prince Perseus," Acheran greeted him with a smile outside the council chambers, "the king has missed your advice. I'm sure he will be delighted to see you again."

"We'll see how long that lasts," he muttered under his breath, before looking the guard captain in the eyes, "am I allowed to enter?"

"You may."

The doors were pushed open, and Triton looked genuinely happy to see Percy.

"Brother!" He greeted warmly, "you've been from home for too long. What brought you back?"

"I—" Percy cut himself off. He had probably come to start a fight, but he couldn't, not with Triton. Not with his brother, who had taken him in when he had nothing. "I just needed to see the city again," he said instead, "and to see my family. It has been too long."

"We'll have a feast tonight! Will Artemis and Chiron be joining us?" There was an eagerness there, and Percy's blood went cold as he felt his anger start back up again.

"I didn't really tell them where I was going," he said carefully, "honestly, I wasn't really intending to come here at all. It just …happened."

"Shall I reach out to them?"

"That's not necessary," Amphitrite swept into the room, "my son, I think it for the best that this simply be a family affair tonight. Allow Perseus some distance from his companions, it's been some time since he was without them."

"Ah. Right. Of course." Triton looked abashed, "I know Rhode will be more than happy to have you back—she's missed you something fierce."

"I've missed her as well," he muttered softly.

"Perseus," Amphitrite spoke up after a moment, "may I see the Trident?"

Percy had completely forgotten he had it on him, and pulled it from his back, holding it out towards the Queen-Mother. She stared at it in awe for several moments before a hand reached out towards it, just barely hovering over the metal.

The moment her hand made contact with the shaft, however, she hissed and snapped her hand back, droplets of blood mingling in with the water as a small cut opened along her palm. Percy stared at the trident in surprise. The shaft wasn't sharp in any way or form, so it shouldn't have…_couldn't_ have cut her.

"How odd," she murmured, "perhaps the magic in it ties it to the blood of Atlan."

"May I?" Triton stepped forward next. Percy nodded, and Triton did the same as his mother. The result was the same. Droplets of blood were swept away in the natural currents, vanishing as quickly as they appeared. "Interesting. Could it be that the magic limits the Trident solely to you, Percy?"

"No clue," he shrugged, returning the weapon to its place on his back, "I'm not that much of an expert in magical fields, and I think it's probably for the best that we don't allow Atlantis' sorcerers to play with the Trident, considering legend states it was them doing exactly that which led to the city sinking in the first place."

"Well said," Amphitrite nodded, "the evening meal is at the same time it always is. Do you need anything before then?"

"No, I think I'm just going to go do some sparring," Percy answered, "it's been a while since I had anyone other than Artemis or Chiron to train with."

"Yes, that would be the case, wouldn't it," Amphitrite took on a thoughtful look, but it vanished quickly, leaving Percy confounded as to why it had appeared in the first place. "I will accompany you to the gymnasium."

"That's really not necessary, mother," Triton grinned, "he hasn't been gone _that_ long."

"Perhaps I simply wish to talk to my step-son, young man," Amphitrite chided. Triton blinked in surprise before flushing. Percy didn't share his embarrassment. The Queen-Mother had something planned. "Come, Perseus."

He kicked forward, following Amphitrite through several doors before she started talking to him. Triton was right about one thing—he hadn't been gone long enough not to notice that they were taking the longest possible route to the gym.

"You've found out about Triton and Artemis, I presume?"

"That's quite the presumption," Percy replied, but his lack of shock to her statement would be taken as an answer, "yes, she told me."

"I imagine that came as quite a shock to you," Amphitrite said, "I can also imagine having feelings for her didn't help."

Percy spun so he was facing, a retort forming on his lips, but Amphitrite raised a hand stopping him in his tracks.

"There are times where your similarities to Poseidon make you easy to read," she told him, "this is one of them. Your father had the same expression on his face when he returned from his time with your mother, and as you did when you arrived. For what it's worth, Perseus…I'm sorry. I know the life of a royal isn't easy, and for you to come into it so late…"

"It's life," Percy said blankly, "and I'm used to not liking what I hear. I'll get over it. Are we done here, because I really don't want to discuss my non-existent love life with my…step-mother."

"Believe it or not, child, but I sympathise with you," Amphitrite grabbed his arm, "I know what it's like to both be the other person and know that there's nothing you can do. Your father and I…had our difficulties at first, but we worked through it. We found our own form of love. You, unfortunately, will not get that chance."

"I'm well aware of that, thank you," he replied testily, prying her arm off, "and I wouldn't have tried anything."

"Some people will suggest you start spending more time on the surface, soon enough," his stepmother continued, "ignore them. Do as you wish, because above all else, you are the blood of Orin, a Prince of Atlantis. Do not forget that, Percy."

"You called me Percy," he blinked, "you've never called me Percy."

"Perhaps I misjudged you for too long," Amphitrite sighed, "I saw you as a symbol of my husband's past life, and a threat to my son. I was wrong. I apologise for that."

"I don't blame you," Percy said, "I get it, I do. And I appreciate this talk, but I've really got to hit something."

"Very well, I've distracted you long enough," Amphitrite graced him with a slight smile, "do not spend too long, we can only keep word of your arrival hidden from Rhode for—"

An alarm cut off her words, and immediately, guards leapt into action, appearing from nowhere and closing in around the two of them. Percy fiddled with his gauntlet before he was linked into the guards' channel. It was a mess of voices and panic.

"Shut up!" He snapped, making all chatter stop, "Acheran, report?"

"_I'm with the King, your highness_," Acheran's voice came back, "_all we know are that the defences have been triggered. Once I have him secured I will find out more._"

"Stay with him," Percy ordered, "Lysander, what do you know?"

Lysander was the commander of the watch, which meant he was always on duty in the war-room. He answered with no hesitation.

"_Our scanners picked up a large floating device directly above Atlantis—above the surface, pardon. It matches none of our records of surface-dwelling ships and it is deploying some form of winged creatures that are making their way to the city. Our outer units are already engaged but reporting casualties._"

"Above the water?" Percy murmured to himself, before turning to the guards around him, "take the Queen-Mother to the king, and secure Princess Rhode," he ordered, before getting back on the channel, "I'm assuming command of the defence of the palace. Lock it down, have all weapons pointed upwards, and station guards at the intersections of each hall. Comm me once that's done."

There were a series of acknowledgements, and a slight pause before Acheran confirmed his orders, likely having run them past Triton, but it was done now. Percy was in charge. Amphitrite placed a hand on his arm before she was bustled off and warned him to be safe, before vanishing towards wherever Triton and Rhode were. Percy swam upwards, just getting through the closing roof before it sealed shut and watched as turrets hidden throughout the architecture of the palace emerged, their barrels pointing upwards before shooting off concentrated blasts of hard water. He couldn't make out what they were shooting at individually, but above the city, bearing down on hundreds of thousands of innocent people was what looked like a black cloud. Or maybe a swarm of locusts.

"_Your Highness, we have you outside the Palace_," Acheran's voice came back, "_are you secure?_"

"For now," he replied, "more importantly, is my _family_ secure?"

"_Yes, your highness. All guard checkpoints have been established, and the Royal family, sans you, are in the safe-room._"

"Good, then you're in command of the palace," Percy told him, hearing a stuttered breath on the channel that didn't sound like any of the guards, "coordinate the city's defence from where you are, I'm going to stall this force."

"_How?_" That was Triton, "_brother, I've seen the sensors scans, there has to be thousands of them!_"

"Luckily for us, there's a lot more life _in_ the sea than out of it," Percy told him, "I'll hold them off long enough for a proper defence to be mounted. See you after."

Percy muted the channel and kicked upwards, sending out a wide pulse to the creatures of the sea. There _was _more sea life than whatever was coming down, but that didn't mean they'd be easy to bring together. Sharks would come first, drawn to the blood—if these things even bled—but he needed bigger guns, so he needed time for them to arrive.

He heard a staticky hiss and his earpiece was back on.

"_What are you doing?_" Artemis demanded. Ah. This was awkward, "_Atlantis is under attack and you didn't even reach out to us_?"

"What do you expect to do from the Pacific Ocean?" He shot back, "I can swim here faster than you can, and that still took me three hours. If you pushed your ship as fast as possible, it'd still take you four. There's nothing you can do, so if you'd do me the courtesy of—ow! Neptune's balls!"

His own rant was cut off by three bodies slamming into him, claws raking over his armoured chest, tearing several of the scales off. He did a barrel roll, using the trident's butt to tear open one of the creatures attacking him, before impaling another on it. The third wasn't so lucky for a clean death. He reached over and punched it in the face once, twice, three times and four before it started floating limply upward.

He slowly became aware of several different voices calling him name in his ear, but he was getting fed up with all the sound, so he pressed a button and the earpiece floated out, before he crushed it in his hand. He had more important things to deal with. Like killing these annoying one-eyed flying demon things that were attacking his home. The Trident practically purred with energy, and he pointed it upwards as he attacked again.

**XXXXXXXXX**

_**Amphitrite**_

"Percy? Percy!" Triton was getting panicked, "why is his signal gone?"

"It was a manual release," a technician said, "it seems he intentionally disconnected. And…er, it sounded like it was being crushed."

"Too much at once," Acheran guessed, "Princess Artemis and Lord Chiron joining the conversation along with you and I may have frustrated him, your highness."

"He'll be fine, my son," Amphitrite assured him, "Percy is a fighter."

"By the old gods," someone swore, "your highnesses! Look!"

She glanced over to a new screen, which showed something that Amphitrite had only seen in footage, and never underwater.

Lightning was arcing upwards in the water, crashing into the swarm of whatever was attacking them. The sensors could just barely make out the orange-and-green origin that was Percy, Trident extended upwards, and the lightning emerging from the Trident.

"By the old gods indeed," she murmured, "is it making a difference?"

"Alone? No, it's only killed a few hundred, from what we can see, but…there's a pod of whales corralling the creatures towards a school of sharks, and I can see swordfish doing their best to kill these things."

"Send aide," Triton ordered at once, "my brother will _not_ fight alone."

"The navy is mobilising," Acheran reported, "Shipmaster Iaxis reports that they'll be engaging in five minutes. I also took the liberty of having a second communication bead sent to the prince. I've received some news he will want to hear."

It took nearly twenty-five more minutes for communications to be re-established with Percy, but when it was, he sounded frustrated more than anything else.

"_Yes_?" He snapped, "_the stragglers are running away, and I'd like to chase them_."

"Your Highness," Acheran began respectfully, "I thought you'd want to know that Atlantis isn't the only place being attacked. We've received reports that the surface city of…Washington is also being attacked. I believe that is the capital of the nation you were born in?"

There was a long moment of silence, no sound filling the channel between Percy and everyone else.

"_Secure the city,_" he said softly, "_I'm going to the surface. Don't follow me._"

"_Percy—_" That was Artemis again, and Amphitrite wondered if she truly didn't know what the boy felt for her.

"_Stop,_" one word, uttered with such conviction that even those in the room with them stopped whatever it was they were doing. Even _Rhode_, who was aware that something terrible and exciting was happening, had stopped swimming back and forth. "_Just…stop. I'll handle this on my own._"

**MMXX**

_**And another one gone, and another one gone, another one bites the dust…**_

**Another chapter completed, and we're starting to move into what's essentially the mid-point of this story. Essentially. My plan initially was for this to just be one massive, 100-something chapter story, but I'll probably break it into 'books' for peace of mind. **

**It was probably much more noticeable in this chapter than the others, but Percy **_**really **_**doesn't like people touching him. There's a reason for that, but it won't come up for a while. I'll let y'all give me your opinions on the chapter, so leave a review or send me a PM.**

**Cheers, CombatTombat**


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter Seventeen

_Reyna_

Reyna didn't particularly _like_ the capital of the United States, the preeminent power of man's world, but she had been given a task, and she would not fail. But there were schedules, and meetings, and _acceptable attire_, whatever that meant, so she found herself walking through the city more often than not, simply because if she didn't, she'd draw her sword on whatever misogynistic fool was tempting her. It was on one of those walks when she heard the sound of the sky tearing open and watched as what could simply be described as a massive metal egg clawed its way out of the rip. People started screaming, and what Reyna would charitably call _Daimons_ flew out of the egg. Reyna felt a grin spread across her face as she drew her sword and shield. Finally, something she was _good_ at. A _fight_.

She launched herself into the air with a war-cry, her sword arcing out and intercepting one of the monsters before it could snatch up a woman from the street. Several people, civilian and uniformed, had drawn firearms and were firing at the creatures, to no avail. Each shot seemed to just irritate them, rather than harm. She watched helplessly as two men were torn apart by the creatures, so she avenged their deaths as soon as she was able to.

But she was only one warrior, and there was only so much she could do. For every life she saved, at least two more were taken. Reyna hated to admit it, but she wasn't enough. Her sword arm was far from tired, but the numbers were overwhelming. They were emerging from the egg at unprecedented numbers, and she knew that it likely wouldn't be the only one. This was not a terrestrial threat.

She drew her focus back to the battle at hand, her sword bisecting several demons as she protected a small group of women and children. Her shield was covered in the ugly green ichor of the beasts, and it dripped down the blade of her sword. Reyna was almost certain there was some on her face and in her hair as well. She imagined it made quite the sight. What she didn't have to imagine was the knowledge that she was about to be overwhelmed. There were too many of the creatures, and only one of her.

She drew herself upright, flicked the blood off her sword, and prepared for a glorious last stand. Her deeds would echo in the halls of Olympus, and she'd be remembered for trying to help the innocent. It wasn't a bad way to go.

But it wasn't her time to go yet. As she charged the monsters, they were struck in the flank by a projectile moving fast enough to break the sound barrier. She blinked as the group that had been charging her literally vanished, only a spray of green mist indicating they had ever been present. And there, floating above her, was Praetor, the man who had helped bridge the peace between her and Perseus.

"Sorry it took so long to get here," he said, "I had to destroy one of these things in Moscow, then turned around and came straight here. Only three in the world, one in Russia, one here, and one over the Atlantic. They've already adapted since Moscow. I can _hear_ the energy pulsing around this one. Some sort of shield."

"Magic," she nodded, "I can feel it. And we're surrounded, I thought you should know."

"I noticed," Praetor nodded, and she thought she heard a lilt of amusement in his voice, "but we're not alone anymore. Some…colleagues of ours are here, you could say."

"Colleagues?" She blinked, right as a large pillar of fire erupted on the other side of the Mall.

"That would be Vulcan," Praetor told her, "a pyromaniac with a heart of gold I found in Texas. He was very excited to be able to burn some bad guys."

Then, a roar filled the air, and an honest-to-the-gods _dinosaur_ snatched one of the demons out of the air, while a large wisp of black smoke fractured into several and impaled even more of them. Reyna traced that to a small girl in a hooded cloak, only glowing green eyes visible underneath.

"That's Changeling and Sorceress," Praetor said, "from Canada and New Orleans, respectively. They're a duo. And finally, somewhere around here is—"

"You talk too much," a quiet voice came from behind her, and Reyna whirled, her sword drawn as she found herself looking at a short man in a dark, armoured bodysuit. There were no symbols, no eyeholes, nothing to indicate that he could even see. It was…disconcerting, "there's no strategy to their attack other than that they're snatching people off the streets and killing anyone who fights back. And I can't figure out why the last carrier is above the Pacific. If they were going for hard targets, Beijing would have been a better choice…"

"This is Ghost," Praetor introduced him, "and we can figure out why they're doing what they're doing later, for now, we need to get as many people to safety."

The Dinosaur in the distance shifted into something far smaller, flying above their heads before landing and changing back into human form, which came as a massive oriental man with a very squishy-looking face.

"Hi, we haven't met yet, I'm Frank," he said before blinking, "shoot, I'm Changeling, not Frank. Can we pretend I didn't say that?"

"Say what?" Reyna's lips quirked, and Frank—_Changeling_—looked immensely relieved.

"Oh, right, there's a bunch of these things coming from the Potomac, but they almost look as if they're running to the egg thing—"

"Carrier," Ghost corrected, "but you're right, my drone shows them fleeing the water. Why?"

"I can't imagine anything good," Changeling said, "they completely ignored Vulcan, and the other demons. Like they're scared."

"I think they are," Praetor cocked a head to the side, "I can hear…oh..."

"_What_—" Ghost never finished, because at that moment, the Potomac River exploded, a wave of glowing water overtaking a group of the demons and dragging them under.

One of them managed to escape the deluge, and was flying for safety when a golden object was flung out of the water, impaling the creature and sending it crashing down to the ground, where it was then pinned by a _very_ familiar trident.

"Oh my," a soft voice said, as Sorceress joined them. She was young—very young, and looked at the Trident with awe, a hand reaching out for it, "that's very old magic."

"Yes, it is, and everyone else who's tried to touch it has cut themselves, so I'd suggest that you don't." Perseus strode from the river-front completely soaked, but with a cut on his forehead and chin. He yanked the Trident from the body of the demon, kicking it off with enough force to break the beasts face when it slammed against the concrete. "I'm very tired of these things trying to hurt people. How do we get rid of them?"

"Magic, I think," Sorceress said, "it's woven into the carrier, but I think something powerful enough to counter it could take down the shield. Maybe."

They all looked at the girl, and her head tilted down as if she was…oh. She _was_ embarrassed.

"Good idea," Perseus said, and Sorceress looked at him with awe. He held up the Trident with one hand, "this was the artefact of a god, would it be powerful enough?"

"Excuse me, what?" Ghost turned on Perseus, "that belongs to a god?"

"I mean, technically it belongs to me, but it used to belong to a god," Perseus shrugged, "not the point, and I was asking the expert, not the midget in the armour."

"Oh, I, uh, yes, it should work?" Sorceress blinked.

Perseus grinned at her, "are you asking me or telling me?"

"Yes," she said more firmly, Perseus' natural charisma working it's magic, "it'll work."

"Damn, dude," the person who could only be Vulcan arrived, he was aflame as he set down, but the fires vanished at once, leaving a short, soot-covered man with impish features. "Nice fork."

"Trident," Perseus corrected tersely before stepping forward. He pointed the trident at the carrier, and for a moment, nothing happened.

"Hey man, everyone has performance issues sometimes," Vulcan teased, but that was when the first lightning strike happened, slamming into the magical shield around the carrier. The shield rippled but stayed in place. "Oh, _damn_ son."

A second hand gripped the trident, and the next strike was not only more powerful, but consisted of multiple branches of lighting. Perseus' jaw was clenched so hard it looked painful, but he persisted. More and more lightning joined to the point where it wasn't even stopping, just pouring down electricity on the shields, crackling against them, popping loudly in the air. Then, something close to an explosion of energy occurred, blue magic spreading across the air before dissipating. Reyna blinked as she felt the shield fade, before a savage grin spread across her face.

"The enemy's walls are down," she said, "this would be the time to strike, no?"

"You guys go ahead," Perseus said, sagging down, only held upright by the trident, "that was…that was…that was something else."

"Are you alright?" Reyna asked as she slipped underneath his other arm.

"Yeah, just… a lot," he sighed, "I've been fighting non-stop for like, five hours now, and I had to swim from the middle of the Atlantic here. And that was _after_ swimming from the Pacific to the Atlantic."

"Here," Sorceress stepped forward and pressed two fingers each on Perseus' temple. There was a warm glow, and the tension in his body seemed to vanish. "I've been waiting for the chance to use that on someone else. How do you feel?"

"Like I just had the world's greatest nap after eating the world's greatest cookies," Perseus blinked. "That was awesome. Thank you."

He pulled himself to his feet and looked at the carrier.

"So…" he said, "do we want to tear that thing up?"

"Oh, _hells yeah_," Vulcan grinned, "I think we might get along, water-boy."

"Call me water-boy again and I'll introduce you to my favourite sharks," Perseus warned, "let's go blow shit up then."

"Is swearing the way things are done in the man's world?"

"It's the way it's done in _my _world, babe," Vulcan winked.

"Oh gods, it's Travis Stoll all over again," Perseus swore under his breath. "Okay, I'm just going to…go kill some things."

He took a running start before leaping into the air. He reached about half the height needed, but a jet of water emerged from the reflection pool and he used that to bound the rest of the way. Reyna watched as he smashed an entrance into the metal, before looking at the others.

"You guys waiting for an invitation or something?" Praetor asked them, before flying upwards. Reyna quickly followed, and she allowed Praetor to make his own hole, while she entered the one that Perseus had gone through.

Immediately she was graced with an image of pure carnage. Bodies of the demons were strewn across the halls, the walls and floor and been ripped to shreds, and there were long streaks where it looked as if Perseus had dragged his Trident along the wall, often with a body on it.

This was something deeper than just a fight. This was anger, sorrow, and fear expressed through violence. This was a berserker rage. It was everything she had been warned about when it came to Atlanteans. It also contradicted everything she had been told, and seen, about Perseus. She followed the trail of bloodshed deeper into the bowels of the ship. When she finally reached Perseus, it was in the midst of another massacre. He had one of the demons pinned to the wall with the front of his trident, while the other was impaled on the haft, limp and dead. He twisted the trident as he removed it, letting the body fall to the ground. He didn't even look as he shoved the other body off.

"Perseus," she called out, and he looked over at her. There was nothing in his gaze. No rage, but also no horror. To him, this was simply a chore. She wasn't sure if that made it worse or not. "I will accompany you."

"There's no need," he said, "these ones either aren't warriors, or aren't their best. I passed rooms with captives, go help them."

"You misunderstand," she said firmly, staring him down, "I was not asking permission. I _will_ accompany you."

"Fine," Perseus replied dismissively, "let's keep going then. This ship is almost designed like an Atlantean one, in its own way. The way the halls are designed, I mean. Very fluid. I guess flying and swimming aren't _too_ dissimilar. I just don't know where it leads."

They heard an explosion in the distance, and more closely, a low rumbling. The rumbling became more pronounced, more spread out, and Reyna realised that it was thumping. Heavy thumping. It was above them for a moment, and Reyna thought she heard screams. Whatever Perseus heard, he thought it was amusing, because he snorted.

"I like this Changeling guy," he said, "he keeps apologising to the demons as he tramples them."

Reyna couldn't help the giggle that escaped her. It _was_ funny. Perseus stared at her for a moment before smiling. Then he turned back to the hallway, head titled slightly upwards.

"If you're saying my name, lightning boy, I can barely hear it. I have better hearing than most, but it's not on your level." He spoke aloud. A moment later, the roof was torn open, and Praetor dropped in.

"Ghost found something we need to see. It's…not pretty." He told them.

"Wonderful," Perseus sighed, "lead the way."

They clambered through six levels of carnage before reaching Ghost. Changeling, Sorceress, and Vulcan had joined him at this point. It didn't escape Reyna's notice that Ghost's armour had suffered some damage, revealing pale skin underneath. In fact, except for herself, Praetor, and Perseus, the others looked somewhat fatigued.

"I was following the civilians taken from the street," Ghost explained, "down what's essentially a conveyor line. It led here."

"A broken conveyor line," Vulcan noted, "it's been blown up."

"That's because the civilians went in one side, and those demons we've been fighting came out the other."

Beside her, Perseus stiffened.

"Are you saying these were people?" He motioned to the still bodies around them, "these were _innocent_ people?"

"_Were_ being the operative phrase there," Ghost stressed, "they went in terrified and they came out with the intent to kill. Just because they were once human doesn't mean they are anymore."

"There has to be more of these," Perseus ignored Ghost's words, "they wouldn't be able to produce enough. We need to destroy this—_now_."

"I agree," Praetor nodded, "so how do we do that?"

"Like any ship, this one will have a power source," Perseus noted, "likely somewhere incredibly well protected. My guess is that it'll be in the core of the ship, right in the middle. There'll be a bridge, too, where information comes in. If we take the bridge and the power source, we control the ship."

"Does that make us pirates?" Vulcan asked.

Perseus looked like he was about to snap back at the man before pausing, a grin taking over his face.

"Actually," he said, looking far too excited, "I think it does. I always wanted to be a pirate. Let's go do pirate stuff. Praetor, take Ghost, Vulcan, and Sorceress with you to find the bridge. The Princess, Changeling and I will find the power source."

He flipped open a compartment on his left gauntlet and pulled out several beads, fiddling with a display that appeared from nowhere. She recognised the script as Atlantean, but she didn't know enough of the language to translate it.

"This is set to a private channel," he informed them, "it'll feel a little weird going in at first, but after a moment you won't notice that it's there. _Don't_ mess with it. It'll allow us to talk with one-another."

They all took one of the beads, following Perseus' example when he removed his from his ear and then place it back in, cupping a hand over it. When Reyna did the same, there was a slight hiss, she felt the bead expand, securing itself snugly in place.

Perseus stepped into the next room.

"_Can you hear me well enough?_" He asked, voice strong in her ear.

They all replied in the affirmative, and the matter was settled. She and Changeling followed Perseus while Praetor dropped down one of the holes he had created, his group on his heels.

"I saw you in San Francisco!" Changeling blurted out after a while, and Perseus glanced over his shoulder, "you had just busted that human trafficking ship from Hawaii, and you followed it all the way to the bay. You're why I do this."

"I'm glad that something good has come from my actions," Perseus said after a moment, "I don't do what I do for selfless reasons. Mostly it's to keep the government off my back."

"That's a lie," Reyna said immediately, "I've seen you, Perseus. I wouldn't go as far to say I _know_ you, but I watch. You have a good heart. It's just…scarred. Bitter. Don't sell yourself short."

"You're right," Perseus said, "you_don't_ know me."

There was silence again after that for several more minutes. Perseus raised a hand and pressed an ear to the wall. Then he rammed his trident into the floor, cutting right through the metal, and peeling it back, creating an opening to the floor below.

"There's a humming that's too steady to be anything but a generator, or maybe an engine. Regardless, I bet that's what we're looking for." He paused again, this time just placing his hand on the wall. "Something's coming. It's big and heavy, and…it's moving fast."

"Can we avoid it?" Reyna asked him.

"It's bearing down on us fast, it'll find us eventually," Perseus shook his head, "down a floor, keep going the way we were going. I'll delay it as long as I can."

"Perseus—" She tried, but he wasn't having it.

"Go," he said softly, "finish the fight."

Reyna hesitated, but conceded. She knew what battles she could win.

"Come," she said to Changeling, "we have a ship to capture."

He looked torn, but Perseus gave him a nod and a smile, which was enough.

"May the gods bless you, Perseus," she told him, before dropping down the hole he had made.

If he responded, she never heard it.

MMXX

So we've got the first meeting of the Seven, which is analogous to the Justice League or the Avengers. To sum up each member, we have Percy=Aquaman, Jason=Superman, Reyna=Wonder Woman, Nico=Batman, Hazel=Zatanna, Frank=Beast Boy, and Leo is a weird mix of Firestorm and/or the Human Torch from Marvel. If you didn't gather that Nico is Ghost, then ya need to re-read the scenes with him carefully. Anyway, I don't actually know what I'm going to call their little group, because while the Seven is a cool name, they won't stay as seven forever. Any help would be appreciated, so as always, leave a review and/or send me a PM!

Cheers, CombatTombat


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter Eighteen

_Jason_

"_This is Percy_," the Atlantean sounded slightly winded, "_there's a mother of a war machine down here that I can only classify as 'really big and powerful' that was tracking my group. I've sent them on to what I think is the engine but you should keep an eye out in case there's more._"

"Need back-up?" Jason asked before he could stop himself.

There was a moment of silence before he heard the tell-tale sound of something metal getting punctured.

"_No, I'm fine,_" Percy responded, "_but this thing won't fall. Like I said, stay alert._"

"_This is Reyna, we've found the engine room, or the power source,_" the Princess hesitated, "_we're not sure which, and we're not sure what it does._"

"_It doesn't—oh would you just die—it doesn't matter,_" Percy panted, "_just hold it down. Once Fly-boy and his group get to the bridge, they won't be able to do anything. I'd expect them to send counter-boarder after you. And I wouldn't be surprised if—oof!_"

"Percy?"

"_Perseus?_"

"'_m fine,_" came the slurred response, "_too' a big hi'. Maybe bro'e my jaw. Don' wo'y abou' i'."_

"That doesn't _sound_ fine," Sorceress muttered.

"He'll be fine," Vulcan shrugged, "I saw him punch a steel door clean off its hinges."

"It doesn't concern you that one of our heaviest hitters just broke his jaw fighting something that could be coming after us?" Ghost asked nonchalantly. Vulcan paused.

"I mean, no, because our _heaviest_ hitter is here," he said after a moment, "but I mean, sucks for Riptide. Which, by the way, how'd he even _get_ such a cool name? They used to call me Fireman until I got annoyed and told them it was Vulcan, and that I was the old god born again. Even _you_ had to pick your own name, Praetor!"

"Aquilla News gave him the name," Ghost said, "one of their reporters, Piper McLean, wrote an article about him. He was described as a riptide, and the name stuck."

"I wish I had been given a cool name," Vulcan huffed, "now I'm stuck being an old god. I could've been something cool, like…like…"

"Like…?" Sorceress teased, "what a heroic name."

"I'll figure it out!" Vulcan insisted, before walking right into Jason. "Hey!"

"I'm staring at a very big throne," he said, "and nothing in it. Does that worry anyone else?"

"That's easily…" Vulcan began before just throwing his hands up in dismay, "_very big_."

"It's nearly forty feet tall," Ghost said, "which if it goes by human proportions, means whoever sits in it is about sixty feet tall."

"Oh boy, a sixty-foot tall giant is here," Vulcan groaned, "how do we kill it?"

"Percy?"

There was a loud crack and then profuse swearing.

"_I'm here,_" he replied. "_Evil alien robot, zero, Percy Jackson, one._ _Percy's jaw, one, Percy, zero. What's up?_"

"How big was the evil alien robot?"

"_I don't know, twenty feet tall, half as wide? It took up most of the hall._"

"…crap."

"_Why? What's wrong?_"

"We just found a throne that forty-feet high. Ghost estimates whatever sits in it is at least sixty feet tall." Jason told him.

"…_crap._" There was a moment of silence, "_alright, Reyna, Changeling, how are things where you are?_"

"_A few of these demon things showed up, but uh, the princess took care of it,_" Changeling reported, "_she's really scary._"

"_Thank you,_" Reyna responded politely, "_it takes courage to admit that you are intimated by an ally._"

Jason couldn't help the grin that spread across his face. Reyna had, excluding her misguided attack on Percy, never failed to be anything but friendly with most people who crossed her path. Even now, she was the same.

"_Alright, then I'm going to cause a bunch of problems, see if I can draw the big boss out of hiding,_" Percy said, "_I'll keep you all informed._"

"What about your jaw?" Sorceress asked, "did you heal it?"

"_Healing is a bit of a strong word,_" Percy laughed, "_I'll need to get it checked properly after, but for now, I'm good. Don't worry about me. Just…be ready for whatever comes your way._"

"What are you planning on doing, Percy?"

"_Nothing smart, and something that will definitely clear out a decent part of the hull. Are there any humans around me? Above, below?" _Jason scanned the area around Percy before telling him no. "_All right, you should probably hold onto something. Last time I did this, I nearly drowned an island in the Pacific._"

"_Should you be doing it again, then?_" Changeling asked.

"_Probably not,_" Percy answered. A moment later, the carrier was rocked, and Jason punched a hole to take a look outside. A massive wave had formed in the Potomac before tearing into the side of the hull, and ripping part of it off, before driving into the new breach. After that, he lost sight of it. Following it through the decks, he saw the water rush through the halls, the pressure blasting into the demons and flattening them, as well as destroying equipment and other…things.

The water burst out the other side of the hull, and flowed back into the Potomac, making the water level rise a few feet and flooding some of the closer buildings before receding again. For a minute, there was nothing. Not a sound, not a movement—zilch. But then, slowly, a low rumbling filled the ship.

"_WHO DARES?_" The voice echoed around them. It didn't seem to come from anywhere as much as everywhere, which was slightly terrifying.

"_You guys heard that too, right?_" Changeling asked.

There was no response, but Jason could just make out Percy tossing insults at the 'bitchy voice in the walls.'

"_I think I made him mad,_" Percy said. "_But there's still no sign of—oh shit._"

"Percy?" Jason said.

"_Perseus?_"

Then he heard it. A steady _thump. Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump_. Jason looked around, but like with the voice before, he couldn't place the sound. When he scanned for where Percy had been earlier, there was no sign of him.

"I've lost track of Riptide," he said, "I can't—"

He was interrupted himself this time by a new hole in the floor opening up, a brief orange blur flying past, and a hole opening in the roof. Then, the thumping started again, before _another_ hole opened up, and the battered body of Percy slammed into the ground.

"Ow," he said weakly. His left eye was swollen shut, and his face was nearly purple in its entirety. "I think I made him mad."

"Oh yes, mortal, you certainly did," an impossibly deep voice growled, and Jason whirled around to find the being that sat in the massive throne. Unless there was a surplus of sixty-foot tall beings. "Who are you to disrupt my master's plans?"

"Who's your master to subject this planet to his whims?" Jason countered, "this is a place of freedom and peace, not murder and abduction!"

"Freedom and peace?" the giant laughed, right as Reyna and Changeling emerged from one of the holes. The moment the Amazon saw Percy, she rushed to his side, gently prodding around his face. The giant watched for a moment, before he turned back to Jason. "Amazonian and Atlantean royalty. It was their ancestors who banished me from this world before I could bring it under my master's domain eons ago. Aided by those treacherous Olympians."

Sorceress had kneeled beside Reyna and healed Percy's face to the best of her ability. Rather than the swollen and bruised mess it had been before, now it was just a bruised mess. Percy rammed his trident into the floor and used the leverage to pick himself up.

"Listen, dickwad," Percy said, "I don't particularly care for the surface. I've lost enough to it already. But you attacked my home, and my people. You put my family—_my sister_—at risk, and for that, I'm going to finish the job whichever ancestor of mine started and_ drive my trident through your skull_."

Jason was taken aback by the sheer rage emanating from the Atlantean, and Sorceress had literally flinched away from him. Only Reyna didn't seem to be surprised, and even then, she was nodding along, like she agreed. He'd have to have a word with them both once this was over.

"I know that Trident," the giant grinned at Percy, "Poseidon wielded it in the First War. However did it end up in the hands of a mere mortal?"

"I asked nicely," Percy replied calmly, "now, before I reintroduce the two of you properly, I at least like to know the identity of who I'm fighting."

"You are bold, Atlantean, I'll give you that," the giant nodded, "I am Atlas, Titan of the West, and the vanguard of my Lord Kronos' armies. Each world I conquer, I conquer in his name. And yours is next. And because I am not devoid of honour…"

The Titan glowed a bright silver, and when it faded, he was only _twice _Jason's height, instead of ten times. He filed all the information away to deal with after the fight, because honestly, between Atlas finishing his boast and Jason comprehending what he meant, Percy had already launched himself forwards, Reyna hot on his heels.

"Uh, I guess we're fighting the giant," Vulcan sighed before his body erupted in flames again, and he charged Atlas.

"We're fighting the giant," Jason confirmed.

He heard the sound of tank treads, helicopters, and fighters zipping around the carrier, but he pushed it entirely from his mind until the situation was dealt with. What was the old expression?

Finish the fight.

XXX

Finishing the fight turned out to be more of an endeavour that Jason would have expected. The moment Percy made contact with Atlas, the Titan boomed a laugh, grabbed the haft of the Trident, and used it to throw Percy clean across the room. A backhand caught Vulcan before he could land a blow as well, but he recovered mid-air, rotating a full three-sixty degrees before levelling out. Reyna was the first to land a tangible blow, and even then, Atlas' armour caught most of it. Unlike the other two, however, Reyna was able to duck underneath his counter strike, before ramming her sword upwards. It was deflected again, but that was when Jason struck, throwing a haymaker that could have levelled a building right at Atlas' jaw.

The Titan's head jerked to the side, and he slowly brought it back, before grinning at Jason and hitting him with a headbutt.

Jason, over the span of his life, had been shot, set on fire, hit by a train, shot with missiles, sheared the top off a mountain, set on fire with missiles, and quite literally taken an asteroid to the face. Not once had any of those fazed him in the slightest. Atlas' headbutt, however, sent him reeling backwards, and for the first time in his life, he tasted blood. He wiped the back of his hand against his mouth, and unsurprisingly, it came away red. But it was new, and it made him _angry._

He spat a globule of blood onto the deck, before ramming back into the Titan. This time, he was taken off balance, but only long enough for him to grab Jason by his cape and use it to throw him into the wall. He very nearly went through it, but a hand shot out and grabbed him before he could.

"Capes bad," Percy grinned at him, but like Jason, his mouth was bloody. "You should consider ditching it."

"Maybe another time," Jason said. "Shall we?"

"After you, flyboy," Percy pointed with the Trident, and Jason launched himself at Atlas once more. This time, however, he wasn't alone. Despite his words, Percy was right underneath Jason, sliding into Atlas' legs, and Jason knew that if he had hit _him_ like that, his knee would have shattered, invulnerable skin or no.

Atlas just grunted in annoyance before slamming a fist into the ground where Percy was laying. The Atlantean rolled out of the way before slamming his forearm into Atlas' elbow which, again, just seemed to frustrate the Titan more than anything. But it allowed Reyna to get onto his back and bring the point of her sword down into his shoulder. The armour he was wearing seemed to take most of the blow, but she pressed her weight down on it, and the result was a roar of anger from Atlas, who reached up, grabbed Reyna by the neck, and launched her at the opposite wall as hard as he could.

Her body was intercepted by Percy, who took most of the impact, before setting her down and checking her pulse. He grimaced, moved her behind some debris, and turned on Atlas. Changeling, who had shifted into a rhino, rammed into Atlas from behind, and Sorceress used her spooky magic to hit him with the smoky black tendrils. Vulcan blasted him with a jet of fire, and Jason finished off the combo by flying up and then dropping a punch onto Atlas' other shoulder, feeling an immense sense of satisfaction when the armour crumpled underneath his fist and the Titan howled.

Naturally, everything went wrong at that point.

Atlas grabbed Changeling by the horn, and like with Reyna, launched him away from him. He managed to shift into his normal body, but he still collided with Sorceress, while Vulcan was violently ejected from the ship, hurtling out of one of the breaches that had been made over the span of the fight. That left Jason and Percy, except Percy was conspicuously absent, so it was just Jason on his own. He cracked his knuckles and squared up with Atlas, who was grinning morbidly at him.

"I know what you are," the Titan crowed, "I was so distracted by the Amazonian and Atlantean that I was ignoring you, but I remember. Your people came to this planet once, millennia ago, when my kind were still worshipped as gods. We didn't interfere then, but nor did we need to. Your ancestors took one look at this planet and knew that they didn't belong. Which begs the question—how did _you_ end up here, Jovian?"

"Long story, we don't have the time," Jason replied, "can we get this over with? There are people who need my help down below, so the sooner I kick you ass, the sooner I can help them."

"If you insist, mortal," Atlas sighed, "a shame that the Atlantean has fled. He destroyed one of my armies almost singlehandedly. I owe him for that."

So Percy was gone. That was…kind of unwelcome news. But it was news to deal with later. Jason had to deal with an Atlas on the offensive. He ducked under a vicious hook and floated away from a knee. Atlas was slower, yes, but not by much, and still fast enough that Jason had to focus. He managed to get two quick jabs in before he was caught by a cross and sent careening backwards, and suddenly it was all he could do not to get pummelled. Changeling and Sorceress were still unconscious, Reyna was still a heap on the floor, and Vulcan had yet to return.

He was ducking, weaving, flying above, sliding underneath, but Atlas wouldn't stop. He kept grinning and laughing as Jason dodged him, landing a few hits in, which didn't seem to serve much purpose. Here he was, the most powerful man in the world, and he couldn't win. He could try and fly Atlas into the stratosphere, but he had a feeling all that would do was annoy the Titan. This wasn't good.

He was winding up for another hit when an orange-gold blur slammed into Atlas, sending him staggering backwards in a way none of Jason's hits had done. Jason blinked in surprise as Percy returned on the warpath. His trident was wreathed in lightning, and it extended up his arm and across his body, sparking off him like he was a conductor. Which, given his metal armour, he kind of _was_.

Percy spun around Atlas, slashing the back of his leg with the counter-point of the Trident, before using it to spring himself up and over, plunging feet first into the back of Atlas' head. The Titan faceplanted into the floor, and when he rose, his face was twisted into a furious snarl. Percy waited patiently, and to his surprise, the look of anger faded on the Titan's face, and instead it was replaced with one of amusement. Then he started laughing.

"Oh, this is beautiful!" He cackled, "you knew you weren't powerful enough to cross into the mortal plane, so you gifted your trident to the Atlantean to serve as a conduit."

"That wasn't my intention," Percy said, except it _wasn't _Percy. The voice was too deep and unnatural. It didn't belong to the man he had come to know. "But the boy knew he could not defeat you, so he offered himself to me. I may be inhabiting his body, Atlas, but make no mistake—you face me now. And I will not show you mercy a second time."

"You don't have the power, Neptune," Atlas scoffed, "and that body won't last long, Atlantean Royalty or not. Very well then, cousin. Shall we?"

Not-Percy spun the Trident so that it was held parallel to the floor and attacked Atlas with a sharp jab that the Titan simply leaned away from. But then Not-Percy twisted the weapon, and it came back far faster than Atlas had expected, catching him across the face, which sparked and burned from the lightning. Atlas let out a cry of pain, and Not-Percy-Jason-is-pretty-sure-his-friend-has-been-possessed-by-an-old-god pressed his attack, attacking with both ends of the Trident, using the shaft to redirect Atlas' increasingly wild counters, and even swinging it like a bat at one point.

Like a switch had been flicked, the dynamic changed. Whatever being was controlling Percy was the best fighter he had ever seen, period. Atlas couldn't touch him, try as he might, and he was getting slower and slower with each wound that began appearing on his body. The desperate attacks started coming, and most of them were nowhere in the vicinity of being near-hits. That was when Not-Percy ended the fight.

He rammed the trident down into Atlas' foot, pinning him in place as he reached forward and grabbed his face with his hands, both of which were still flaring with lightning. Atlas screamed as Not-Percy began chanting in a language that was physically painful to hear. His hands flared a bright white, so powerful that it temporarily blinded Jason.

When the light faded, Atlas was gone, and Not-Percy was looking at him. His eyes glowed an unearthly white, and Jason had to blink as the image switched from Percy to a godly figure to back to Percy.

"If you act fast, you can save him," Not-Percy said. "He is a good champion."

Then, the light faded, and Percy's sea-greens were staring back at him again. The Atlantean was unfocused and swaying on his feet, clearly using the Trident to support himself. He opened his mouth, closed it, and then finally—

"Did we win?" He asked.

"Yeah, buddy, we won," Jason said, "you feeling okay?"

"I'm tired," Percy said, before looking around. "Oh, damn, Reyna. You go check on the others."

He staggered over to where he had placed the Amazonian, kneeling by her side and pulling her into his lap. Jason heard her stir, as he made his way over to Changeling and Sorceress, who were taking cover behind the remains of the throne.

"That was dangerous magic," she said quietly, "the Trident is one thing, but what just happened…it was painful for me to be around, and I'm attuned to magic in a way that very few are. For Riptide to have been the source…he must've been in agony. Must _still_ be."

"He seemed fine," Jason frowned, turning to where Percy was quietly talking with Reyna. He looked tired, dark bags under his eyes, face bruised and bloody, armour torn. But that was just the physical. He focused his listening, eyes widening when he realised what was happening.

"Percy!" Reyna cried out as the Atlantean slumped over. "What's wrong with him?"

Jason was too busy staring to answer. He had heard Percy's heart slow, and then skip.

And then stop.

MMXX

I don't know man; I just have a thing for Percy using too much power and then passing out. Or I guess having a heart attack in this case. As I finish this, it's 5:20 in the morning, which really shows just how messed up my sleep cycle is, because I started writing the second half of this at like, 3:00 AM.

On the matter of things that have been mentioned, I've decided the name I'm going to use for the group, which will come up sometime in the next two chapters. I've also decided to keep this as one chunker of a story, broken up into 'books.' Book One is, obviously, 'Go into the Water' and Book Two is yet to be named, but I know the direction I want to go with it. Speaking of, Book One has two chapters left in it, and then we'll have an interlude chapter before we start Book Two. I'll also some of the more frequent questions I get during the Interlude.

Finally, as always, please leave a review. Tell me what you think of the chapter. Tell me if you love it, tell me if you hated it, tell me what your favourite and least favourite scene was, but for the love of all that is holy and my sanity, don't ask me to update. I'll update this story as I'm able, as I find motivation at ungodly hours, and as I'm struck by inspiration. I love writing, and I love being able to share this with you, but everytime I get a 'pls update' or 'update now' comment I die a little on the inside, and so does my passion to write. I want to make something good, not something fast. That takes time and effort.

Cheers, CombatTombat


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter Nineteen**

Percy's heart had stopped, but then it started up, before stuttering and repeating. Jason couldn't move, and he felt his blood go cold. It was only Ghost suddenly reappearing from the shadows that drew him from his own shock. The smaller man had been noticeably absent during the fight with Atlas, but Jason also knew that of all the people he had gathered, Ghost wasn't strong, or magical, or anything like that. He was quiet, and smart. There wasn't much he could have done in the fight.

"I have a medical facility that can treat him," Ghost said, placing his hand over Percy's chest. "His heart is irregular and erratic. I can get him there in thirty minutes."

"That's too slow," Jason shook his head, "where is it? I can fly him there in a tenth of that time."

Ghost hesitated, glancing at the others, but Reyna grabbed him arm firmly.

"Please," she begged quietly, "he is dying."

"It's in Detroit," Ghost said after a millisecond, "on Belle Isle, underneath Lake Muskoday. There'll be a short window, maybe five seconds, where a hangar in the middle of the lake will open. Follow the tunnel, and there'll be a doctor waiting for him."

Jason pulled Percy into his arms, angled himself roughly towards Detroit, and shot out of the ship. He hadn't been lying when he said he could get him wherever Ghost had in a tenth of the time. The thing was, he didn't normally fly as fast as he was. It pushed the upper limits of his stamina, and broke the sound barrier twice over, but he _was_ in Detroit in three minutes, slipping through the hidden hangar doors into a large, underground network of tunnels. As promised, there was a tall, young man in a doctor's coat ready with a gurney, which looked to be reinforced to hell with welded support beams underneath it, and even then, it groaned under Percy's weight.

"What happened to him?" The doctor asked, "our…mutual friend wasn't very forthcoming."

"Honestly, I'm not entirely sure, but I think he was possessed by a god." Jason answered, "whatever it was, it's given him a heart attack. His pulse is erratic right now, but all his other organs seem to be working fine."

"How do you—wait, never mind, I can find out later. Alright, so, according to everything my theories show, I'll need a diamond tipped tools to get in there. This should be fun."

It was not, in fact, fun. Jason was on standby the entire time, having offered his help. He didn't think offering his help would mean being forced to stick his hand into Percy's chest and physically massage his heart to keep it beating because the doctor—'Please, call me Will'—was worried what the defibrillator might do to him. After three hours, Will was finally convinced that Percy was out of immediate danger, and told Jason that he'd have to be observed for a few days.

He immediately left to return to Washington, and when he arrived, the ship was still floating above the city, and it was completely surrounded by tanks and soldiers. Reyna was currently in a heated argument with who Jason presumed was the officer in charge, and the man visibly relaxed when he saw Jason floating above them, like he immediately expected him to side with him about whatever was going on.

The look on his face when he landed beside Reyna was worth it. He didn't even need to ask what the topic was because Reyna beat him to it.

"They want to take the ship and study it," she said, "it's too powerful and too dangerous to let any one nation have control of what's inside."

"I took one down in Russia though, so they're probably—"

"That one is gone," Ghost materialized beside him out of nowhere, and he _seriously_ had to figure out how he did that. "So's the one that was over the Atlantic. This is the only one that's still here, and we don't know why."

"Who are you, again?" The officer—a general, he recognised the insignia—asked with a pointed look.

"Smarter than you," Ghost replied easily, before turning to them, "Vulcan and Changeling are finishing a sweep of the ship to make sure there's no one left behind. They should be with us soon."

Soon was after another ten minutes of arguing, because, _no, general, not all aliens are the same, and we're pretty sure this goes beyond Aliens, so take a step back and be patient._ Changeling touched down first, shifting from bird to human, and it took Jason a moment to realise he had no kind of disguise on. But the General looked at him in horror.

"You have no face!" He exclaimed, and Jason blinked, because he very clearly _had_ a face. Changeling gently slapped his forehead.

"Right, the magic." He muttered, blushing red. "I have a face, sir, but my partner cast a spell that means people can't see it. I never really thought about how it would look to other people."

Vulcan arrived a few minutes after that, and his arrival was quickly followed by a loud thrumming in the air, static building so thickly Jason could almost taste it. He didn't even have time to open his mouth before a dark portal opened above the ship and drew it in, before closing just as quickly. They were left with the ruins of a city, and the end of an argument. The General's mouth hung open, and Reyna looked more than a little pleased with herself.

"Good thing you didn't put your men on that ship General," Ghost said neutrally, but somehow, it still came across snidely. "Otherwise you might have to explain to your superior how American lives were lost _after_ the fight was over."

The General glowered, but Reyna clearly decided that with the threat of the ship being boarded gone, there was no need for her to stay around. She nudged his arm and then flew upwards several dozen yards, and he quickly followed.

"How is he?"

"He was stable when I left," he said honestly, "but it was touch and go. He'll likely need a few weeks of bedrest and then who knows how much time to recover. Or maybe nothing at all. I don't know enough about Atlanteans to give you a proper answer."

"Do you think Ghost will allow me to see him?" She asked him. "He did not seem eager to reveal his hospital."

"It wasn't a hospital," Jason said, before correcting himself, "well, it was a fully stocked medical facility, but it was in a cave underneath a river on an island in Detroit, so it wasn't really something that was easy to access. Did you find out where he went while we were fighting Atlas?"

"He was moving wounded civilians out of the way," Reyna told him, "and organising those who were willing to help. He does not like the attention he received."

"Like Percy?"

"No, Perseus doesn't like attention because people have an idea of him that he doesn't care for," Reyna shook her head, "Ghost does not seem to like _any_ attention."

"Well, he is still technically on the Detroit PD's top ten list, so that might have something to do with it." Jason shrugged. "I'm more concerned about what Artemis and Chiron are going to do with him."

"I found it odd she did not come with him," Reyna agreed, "and I know her—she'd never willingly be left behind. I believe I will go to his island and find out why she left him alone."

"We could use some help here," he said carefully, "we all did our best to avoid damage, but Percy flooded most of the riverbank, and there's people trapped who need rescuing."

He saw the moment of hesitation but Reyna, as he knew, was not selfish. She nodded, and they returned to the ground. The others gathered around him, and he saw the flash of annoyance on the General's face to be suddenly ignored.

"There are people stuck in the metro system where the entrances collapsed, so we need to clear the debris out there first," he began, "after we've gotten the civilians clear, we should work on clearing the rubble blocking the roads. The sooner those are clear, the sooner first responders can come to help. Sound good?"

"You've got it boss man," Vulcan nodded, "how's our boy?"

"Stable," Jason said simply. "We can talk later. We've got work to do, yeah?"

**XXXX**

"They want to give us all Presidential Medals of Freedom," Jason told Percy. The Atlantean was propped up in a bed, surrounded by flowers that Jason had brought from all the others. He looked distinctly uncomfortable for it. "For 'our actions during the crisis and the days that followed.' They also tried to make it sound like I won the fight for us. Didn't take."

"I know," Percy grinned, "I watched the interview. I thought it was hilarious, and you'd never know, but Nico did too."

"Nico?"

"Our friend Ghost. Nico di Angelo. He's a meta, did you know?" Percy shifted so he was sitting up more. "Nothing overly flamboyant, like shapeshifting or bursting into flames, but you know how he can just…appear, like you never knew he was there? It's called 'Shadow Travelling.' Pretty cool."

"I was not aware of that," Jason said slowly, "what about his faceless mask?"

"Dude look around us," Percy motioned to the room, full of state-of-the-art medical equipment. "He's rich. It's probably got like, sensors on it or something like that. That kind of tech has existed in Atlantis for a century, if not longer. I'd ask, but he's been avoiding me since I told him I had figured out his identity."

"How did you?" Jason asked, before adding, "figure it out, I mean?"

"He didn't know I have enhanced hearing. Got into a heated debate with Doc Will, and both of their full names were used. I'd do the research, but they only let me read physical copies of things, and they've kept my armour hidden from me."

"I'll keep you updated," Jason rolled his eyes. "Also, I need you not to freak out about what I'm about to tell you."

"Oh boy, that inspires confidence," Percy muttered. Jason finally bit the bullet and addressed the issue he had been avoiding.

"Reyna went to your island and met with Artemis and Chiron. I'm not sure about the exact details, because I only found out after the fact, but apparently she and Artemis got into an argument about something that's going on in Atlantis, which escalated into a fight, and now half your cave-base is wrecked."

Percy sighed loudly and dropped back against the bed.

"It apparently also caused an international incident between Atlantis and the Amazons, since Reyna is their representative in 'Man's World' it might have led to war. Chiron talked everyone down, but they _really_ want to know where you are. Your brother is getting anxious."

"Triton spent years without me, he can wait a few more days," Percy sighed. "I'm healthy, something no one wants to tell me, but I'm weaker than normal. Which is why I'm being kept here. I'd honestly just like to go somewhere private to finish healing up. Feel like helping?"

"Maybe. Depends on where you want to go."

"Legally, I still own the lighthouse I grew up in," Percy said, "my mom's will had her life insurance paying it off, and I had the Atlantean Royal Spymaster make sure that payments kept going in. If I have to be on bedrest, I want to do it there."

"Not Atlantis?"

"I don't think I want to be in Atlantis right now, Jason," he said quietly. "There's a lot going on that I don't want to explain right now."

"And going home would help?"

"It's my childhood home," Percy said, before adding, even quieter than before, "it's the only place with photos of my mom."

Well, damn, how could Jason argue with that.

"Alright," he said. "I'll talk to Will."

"And if he won't let me leave?"

"Then I'll break you out." Jason promised. "But it shouldn't come to that."

**XXXX**

Thankfully, Jason did not have to break Percy out. He talked to Will, explained the situation, and very heavily laid on the 'it's the only place where he has photos of his mom' card. The Doctor conceded within minutes, with the concession that Percy be flown via Will's private jet, which was absolutely stocked like a flying hospital. It was only when Jason saw the plane itself that he connected the dots.

"You're Will Solace!" He blurted out. "Solace Enterprises!"

"Yeah, buddy, catch up," Percy laughed as a nurse fretted over him. Both he and Jason had been against outsiders, but Will managed to convince them that he actually had an alibi for being able to get Percy from the capital to Detroit without anyone knowing that they allowed others to help them. "Did I forget to mention that earlier?"

"You did," Jason glared, "I can't believe I didn't put it together."

Will had blushed a little at all the attention, but quickly went back into Doctor Mode when the nurse started getting a little too handsy with Percy, who had also turned a shade of scarlet. The flight was uneventful, and Jason flew alongside the plan rather than in it so he could think, before escorting them all the way to the Lighthouse. It had changed since he had last seen it, six months ago, with the addition of a taller wall topped with spiked fencing, a sturdier gate, and security cameras.

"I hired a contractor," Percy explained, "anonymously, and really expensive, but they did the work, no questions asked. I figured I'd be coming home, sooner or later, and wanted it to be ready."

"Well, it's certainly much more private now," Jason said, "though us showing up here like this is…"

It was the opposite of privacy. Percy and Jason on their own were enough to be major headlines. Together though? God, the things the news did with that. He'd probably have a half dozen texts from Lupa to find out what he could about Praetor and Riptide being seen together, despite the fact he was still 'on vacation' in Hawaii.

Inside, the Lighthouse was…kind of like a museum. Or maybe a memorial. There were photos of Percy all over the place, in different stages of life, and while he was alone in a few of them, in almost all the others, he was surrounded by people. There was a kind looking woman who could only be his mother, a blonde girl and a brown-haired boy wearing a Rasta cap, and most surprisingly, Fredrick Chase. _That _man, Jason did know by sight.

"I haven't been in here since I was eighteen," Percy said after a long moment of just standing in the house. "And the last time I _was_ here, I broke the door. I still don't know who had it replaced. I'm also surprised it wasn't looted."

"There were police on scene that day," Jason explained. "They stopped the reporters and onlookers from going into the house. Kept it cordoned off for nearly a month." At Percy's look, he flushed. "I wrote that paper about you—I needed to know everything that led up to your vanishing into the ocean for six years."

"Right. I keep forgetting you have a day job." Percy chuckled, running a hand over the back of a chair. "Thank you, Jason."

"Hey man, I'd have wanted to go home too. It's no trouble."

"No, not just for getting me here," Percy explained. "For getting me to Detroit. For stopping my fight between myself and Reyna all those months ago. Just…thanks."

"Oh, uhm, you're welcome," he nodded stiffly. This was new territory, after all.

"Don't get emotional on me," Percy—_thankfully_—cracked a grin. "I'll find a way to even the debt. Now you should probably get home. I'm sure there's someone's cat in a tree that needs rescuing."

"Yeah, fine, don't strain yourself talking to the fish," Jason fired back, before leaving the house and kicking up into the air. It would take him a few hours of flying to get back to San Francisco at a leisurely pace, but maybe he could stop up in Seattle and visit his mom. She'd been bugging him about an update on his 'new super-friends,' a name that he did not approve of in any way or form.

Even worse was Reyna's tongue-in-cheek comment to a reporter, while grinning at him, where she called their (one-time?) group 'the Argonauts.' Having to keep a straight face while talking to the Speaker of the House had been difficult, and even worse, it had been plastered on headlines on every news platform and blog. It was their official unofficial name. The others didn't really understand the joke, and Vulcan thought it was a 'pretty dope name.'

He was a few hundred feet above the lighthouse when he heard Percy speak unintentionally. He hadn't meant to be listening, but he had been tuned to Percy's heartbeat for a week or so, so he really wasn't at fault.

"Hey mom," the Atlantean murmured quietly, voice thick, "I'm home. Sorry it took so long to get here."

He quickly stopped paying attention and began the flight to Seattle. A trip to his own mom would be good.

**XXXXVXXXX**

"The surveillance team has put Perseus at his childhood home," Kymopoleia reported to her king solemnly. Triton was seated in his throne, leaning into his knuckles. "He was briefly accompanied by the figure the surface-dwellers know as Praetor, who he fought with at the other mothership, but he left shortly after. He's alone now."

"Why hasn't he come home?" Triton mused. Kym kept her mouth shut, but her gaze shot to Amphitrite, who was openly frowning. "Do you know something, mother?"

"I know many things, my son," she replied calmly. "On this matter, I know his reasons, but I will say no more."

"Percy is family!" Triton exclaimed, and Amphitrite refrained from rolling her eyes. "I deserve to know why—"

"It's his own business, my son," she cut him off quickly. "You are his king, and his brother. If you wish to demand his return, he will come, but not as your brother, but your subject. Let him return on his own, and he will do so as your brother. You cannot have both."

Her son flexed his hand several times before giving a curt nod.

"Continue observing, ensure that he is in no danger, and then pull the team back." He ordered. "He has earned his privacy."

Kym opened her mouth, closed it, bowed, and left. Once the door was closed, Triton slumped back into the throne.

"If the Amazonian is to be believed, Percy was possessed by the chief of our pantheon," Triton said after a long moment. "That kind of power…it could make Atlantis unstoppable."

"According to the Amazonian, he almost died for it," Amphitrite pointed out. "Do not go making grand plans if you lose your family for it. That is the fate that befell Atlan, remember?"

Triton just grunted. She tried not to sigh deeply at his behaviour. He was perceptive enough to realise that Percy was upset with him—though it took his brother immediately going to help the surface for him to figure it out—but not perceptive enough to know _why_. If he didn't figure it out for himself, things may not go as well as he wanted. Perhaps even the _other_ way if Perseus took after Poseidon in more than looks. She was not looking forward for the aftermath of _that_ potential situation.

**MMXX**

**Lmao I wrote this in about 2 days total writing time because I read somewhere that if you wrote in Comic Sans, the words would just fly onto the page, and lo and behold, I've written this entire chapter in said font, and I kind of hate myself. But it worked, so this will probably be my new method for writing. Anyway, the aftermath of the attack, a quick mention of what the new group's name is, and other stuff. I didn't want to give them a name like 'the Seven' because my plan is for there to eventually be more than seven of them. For the most part, in the Book 2, Atlantis will take a backseat to the surface, as the world recovers from an extra-dimensional threat. Just a thing to remember—only the **_**ships**_** vanished from Earth.**

**As always, please leave me a review or send me a PM and tell me what you thought about the chapter. What were you favourite/least favourite parts, what do hope to see in the future, whether or not you think I'm a shitty writer for not doing X Pairing or how you'll abandon me if I do Y Pairing. I like those reviews.**

**Cheers, CombatTombat**


	20. Chapter 20

_**Chapter Twenty**_

Annabeth knew the moment she saw Percy walking back into his childhood home she was going to be there. Watching the Attack on Washington had been hard enough _before_ he arrived, but the tidal wave that announced his presence, the thunderstorm of divine proportions—everything that had followed had been terrifyingly awe-inspiring. Grover and Juniper had shown up at her apartment twenty minutes after the footage first started streaming in, hair frazzled and eyes wide, and the trio had watched Percy's arrival together. She had seen Grover mouth 'Holy Hell' to himself at the wave summoned, and she couldn't help but repeat it aloud.

Then the group—the Argonauts, according to the Amazonian—went into the ship. Or egg. Whatever it was, and they didn't emerge for nearly two hours. Percy was not one of the ones to walk out—in fact, they never even saw him leave. It was only an annoyed Praetor who snapped during an interview when the Press Secretary claimed that _he_ had defeated the leader of the attackers that the truth came out—Percy had been the one to win the fight, and had been critically injured in the fight, before being snuck away to heal.

Then it was a week of waiting for news. The Argonauts were surprisingly tight-lipped about Percy, and even while they returned to their homes, apparently no longer working together, they stayed silent on the matter of Percy. It was frustrating, and her increasing anger was only broken by his sudden reappearance in Montauk. She was on a flight that night, somewhat amusingly next to a clearly annoyed Jason Grace of Aquila News.

There was, naturally, a crowd gathered around the new gate outside the Lighthouse, but Annabeth shoved her way to the front, ignoring the indignant cries from onlookers and other news reporters, Jason trailing behind and apologising for her, like she had anything to be sorry for.

"Perseus Jackson, I know you can hear me!" She yelled at the camera, "and if you don't let me in this moment, I swear to God I will shove that trident of yours so far up your—"

A hand clasped over her mouth, and she realised that among the crowd was a bunch of kids wearing shirts with Percy's face on it. Oh. She didn't need to be traumatising them just yet. Maybe when they were older. Luckily, she didn't have to be embarrassed for long, because the gate clicked, slid open just enough for her to slip in while Jason stopped anyone else from following, and then slid closed. She heard people calling out to her to get a comment, but she steadfastly ignored them all as she marched up to the attached house.

The door swung open easily, and she found Percy sitting in the nook that had been Sally's office when she needed to do Lighthouse related paperwork.

"Well you don't _look_ like you had a near death experience," were the first words out of her mouth, to her horror. Percy arched an eyebrow at her after spinning around in his chair. "That's what everyone said happened."

"The damage to my face is gone, but you should see my torso," he said. "There's also the fact that I had a divinely-induced heart attack, and mine's still a bit weak."

It took her a moment to comprehend the words.

"You had a…a heart attack?" She scrutinised him carefully. "Percy, those things can be genetic, your mom—"

"Stop."

One word, not even said forcefully, but she obeyed without any hesitation. When did he become so _commanding?_

"Annabeth, I am well aware what happened to my mother. It was a physical trauma induced heart attack as a result of my home being attacked by the mercenary your father hired." There was no emotion in Percy's voice, nothing to indicate what he felt about the topic. "But that was a genetic flaw that belonged to my mom, as much as I hate to say it. My body is different from hers, and up until a weak ago, it was believed I couldn't even _have_ a heart attack. People much smarter than you in the topic did all manner of tests."

"…it was something you were worried about," she realised.

"After mom died I…wasn't in a good space," he admitted. "I left because I was hurting, and because…well, my mom asked me to go find my dad. He was dead for a year by the time I arrived, but my brother took me in. After I got comfortable, I asked the physicians to take a look at me. Even by Atlantean standards, I'm exceptionally powerful. They're not sure if it's just…luck, or if the merge of human and Atlantean genetics made me so. It's why I was never sick as a kid, for one thing. But I literally cannot naturally have a heart attack. My body's just too strong."

"Are you…okay, now?"

"I'm healing," he answered, "I won't be back to full strength for a few months, but that still makes me miles above most people. My plan is to lay low until I'm good and ready, and then get back to work."

"Work being…?"

"Well, I've been a little distracted lately, so piracy has picked back up in the Pacific and off the coast of Africa. Some of my new friends promised to keep an eye on the worst of it for me, but it's really my ballpark." He explained, a glimmer in his eye that Annabeth had never seen before. "But you didn't come here to hear me talk about my work. I'm not actually _sure_ why you're here. Last time we talked, I not so vaguely threatened you while my compatriots destroyed all your research." He eyed her suspiciously. "You're not planning to try and kill me, are you? Because much more powerful people have tried and failed."

"You got me," she rolled her eyes, "after making a scene in front of a massive crowd, I'm going to publicly execute you on live television to make a statement to the world about the dangers of friendships with non-humans."

"Well, if it's for a good cause," Percy shrugged. "Why are you _really_ here?"

Annabeth bit her lip as she thought about her answer. Eventually, she decided for the cold hard truth.

"I was worried about you." She admitted. "They said you were hurt, but not where you were, or if you were doing better. I didn't really think this through, either. When I saw you going home, I booked a flight, packed a carry-on bag, and came straight here. No plans beyond that."

"Huh."

"I just admitted that I did the most impulsive thing in my life and all you can say is 'huh'?"

"Yeah, pretty much," Percy said. "It _is_ one of the most impulsive things in your life, so I'm a little off guard. I wasn't expecting to see you, Annabeth. I was kind of hoping not to have to see _anyone_ for a while, at least. But I'm nothing if not nice. Call Helen and tell her you'll be staying with her or ask her for a decent hotel. I'll talk to you properly in…three days. Sound good?"

"Are you kicking me out?"

"Yeah, I am," He nodded, and began crowding her towards the door. "Trust me, it's better this way."

"That makes no sense!" She exclaimed, "how is this 'better?'"

"Annabeth, I'm not going to argue with you," Percy said firmly. "Come back in three days. We can talk then."

"Give me at least _one_ good reason, then." She demanded, crossing her arms.

"I—Neptune's balls, I forgot how stubborn you could be," Percy sighed, dragging a hand down his face. "Alright, here's a good reason—while we were talking, one of my associates reached out to me and told me that there's a mercenary team coming to grab me while I'm weak, probably working for the government through multiple levels of cut-outs. They'll be here at some point tonight, and I want you far away."

"What."

"Lots of men with guns coming to steal me," he said slowly. "I'll handle them, but you can't be here. Three days, Annabeth."

"Three days." She confirmed. "If you're not here, I'm storming the White House myself."

"Deal," Percy grinned.

It made her feel a bit better that he wasn't as worried as she was.

**XXXXVXXXX**

It had been Nico—Ghost—that had reached out to Percy mid conversation with Annabeth, hence his ineloquent 'huh' while talking with her. The news of the strike team was unsurprising and unwelcome, but he'd handle it as he did all other things. Getting Annabeth to leave had been a hassle, but he accomplished that goal as well. After that, it was Jason, who had overheard and offered to help, but Percy managed to talk him down, far easier than it had been with Annabeth.

The rest of the time he spent preparing by moving anything of value into the safe in the master bedroom, taking all the photos off the walls and putting them inside drawers, and otherwise ensuring that only bodies would be broken if they impacted the wall. He hadn't done this the last time, when he was in Chiron's home, but they hadn't exactly had prior warning at the time.

It was nearing midnight when they finally arrived, coming out of the water like idiots. There was only one way up from the ocean-front, unless they planned on scaling the bluff, which he doubted. There were no good handholds, so they would likely come up the winding path. He could just sweep them away with a wave of his hand, but…where was the fun in that?

Instead, he left his door open, all the lights off, and stood in the darkest corner he could find. His eyes, adapted to seeing in the black depths of the deep sea, weren't affected in the slightest. In fact, for Percy, it was harder to see during the day than it was at night, but that was a more recent development, after his years in Atlantis. He couldn't imagine what it must have been like for Chiron or Artemis, who had grown up underwater.

The first of the mercenaries came in cautiously, night vision goggles over their eyes so they could see. Percy wished he had the actual ability to hide in the shadows like Ghost, but instead, he just moved carefully, knowing where he'd be out of sight, when they'd lose track of him, et cetera. There were seven of them, and they were carrying _big_ guns. Like, Elephant Gun calibre, if he had to bet. There would be no direct contact tonight.

He took out the man who brought up the rear first, waiting until just after he confirmed they were clear, and then yanking him out and flinging him several hundred yards into the ocean. If he was a good swimmer, he'd be fine. Otherwise…well, people drowned all the time. Percy wouldn't lose any sleep over this one.

The others quickly realised something was wrong when their now long-gone teammate stopped responding to their frequent check ins. At that point, it was too late. One turned towards Percy and was shoved backwards so hard he cratered the wall where he hit it, sliding down it and going still. The one right next to him had the sides of his neck squeezed hard enough that he passed out in seconds before Percy let him go. He slid over a counter, ended up between two men, grabbed them by the heads, and knocked them together. Five down, two to go. This was like stealing candy from a rock.

He found them staring at the trident, which was leaning against the wall of his bedroom. One of the men radioed whoever he was reporting to while the other went to secure it.

"HVT still not found, but secondary objective has been located. Securing now."

Percy barely heard the affirmative but decided enough was enough. He swept forward, jabbing his elbow into the first man's head and knocking him out cold before swatting the gun from the second man and grabbing by the throat. Not hard enough that he couldn't breathe, but the mercenary. knew he was screwed.

"The rest of your team has been dealt with," he told him, "not just that guy. I like to think that I'm a generous man, but you broke into my home, after I went through all the effort of securing it from people trying to break in. I guess I didn't think about the waterfront. Silly me. Now, give me one good reason why I shouldn't introduce you to my favourite shiver of Great Whites?"

"I'm just a hired gun, man!" The mercenary squeaked. "I'm not worth anything!"

"Not helping your case here, buddy," Percy growled, "who hired you?"

"There were so many layers, we don't even know!" Not surprising, but Percy would milk this. He squeezed just a little. "Please, I'm telling the truth!"

"Sure you are," Percy chuckled. "Your heartbeat is going wild though, so I'd never be able to tell. Let's try a different question. Who do _you_ work for?"

"This was freelance!" The mercenary was struggling in his grasp, feet kicking as they searched for some form of purchase. "One of my old army buddies reached out to me, offered me a stupid amount of money to join him for a strike. We were told you were basically crippled!"

"By who?"

"I don't know! None of our information came from any direct source. It was all encrypted to hell, and we'd never be able to track down the original sender if we tried."

"Who's your buddy? Is he here?"

"His name is Luke Castellan. He's not here." The man finally stopped struggling and just went dead in the body. Still alive though, so he had that going for him. "He put us together."

Percy blinked once, twice, and three times before an idea struck him. He pulled the radio from the man's vest, yanked out the headphone cable, and thumbed the receiver.

"Luke, this is Percy, you there?" He asked. There was several moments of silence before—

"Yeah." Man, it had been _years_ since he had even _thought_ about Luke Castellan. And now he was hiring people to kidnap him and steal his Trident. Was it…was it because of high school?

"Is this because I broke your jaw in high school?" Percy was taking no chances.

"No."

"So you just became an evil bastard because you could?"

"Who said anything about evil, Percy?" Luke replied. There were no background noises he could make out, unfortunately. "This is a paying job. A _really_ well-paying job. And you're non-human anyways, I wouldn't lose any sleep over it. You should do me a favour and kill these guys. I don't want to pay them if they've cocked it up this badly."

Oh, he was one of _those_ guys.

"I'll keep it in mind," he said, before crushing the radio in his hand and looking at the merc. "What's your opinion on the whole 'killing you' thing?"

"I'd…prefer that you didn't?" He tried, and Percy had to admire him for that.

"So what happens if I let you go?"

"Well, my old army buddy just told you he'd rather have me dead than paid, so…not go back to him seems like the smart choice." The man said slowly.

"Oh, I like you. What's your name?"

"Chris." The man said. "Chris Rodriguez. I'd shake your hand, but…"

Percy lowered him to the ground and took a step back.

"One of your guys is in the water, pretty far out. Strip these guys of their weapons and armour and carry them back to your boat, and then go somewhere Luke can't find you. Come back in a week, and we'll discuss your future."

"Future?" Chris blinked.

"Consider this to be me hiring you, Mister Rodriguez," Percy grinned, "if you can get your team aboard, I'll pay you more than you've ever been paid in your life."

"You live in a lighthouse."

"I can also see and breathe underwater. Don't you think I would have found some things down there that could make a man rich?" He countered. Chris considered his words and then nodded.

"Alright, not like I have anything better to do. Thanks for not killing me, I guess."

"Don't thank me yet," Percy laughed, "you don't know what I want you do to yet."

He blinked at Percy, then removed his vest and pouches, before doing the same thing with the last man Percy had knocked out, slinging him over his shoulder, and carrying him out of the house. A man of his word, at the very least. Percy didn't help him at all, just watched, and Chris didn't complain that Percy was just watching. A man with common sense as well. He didn't even know what he'd do with a team of mercenaries. He'd figure _something_ out. He always did.

**XXXX**

The next morning, a squad car pulled up outside his house, and there were two officers waiting outside the gate for him to let them in. He ambled his way down to see what they wanted and nearly tripped over himself.

"No freaking way," he said, staring at the two officers. "How the hell did the police let _you_ two degenerates on the force?"

"Nice to see you too, Percy," Travis Stoll greeted him. "We don't have a record, remember?"

"Damn, you're right," he laughed. "Connor, Travis, what can I do for you?"

"We had a team on security last night, and they thought they saw a group of men enter your house. They decided to let it be, but we thought we'd check in. Need us to help you hide the evidence?" He couldn't tell if they were being genuine or not. He had been friends with the Stolls throughout middle and high school, and they were good friends to have, but helping Percy cover up murder? He didn't think they were _that_ good of friends with him. That was more Grover and Annabeth.

"No one died," he rolled his eyes. "I do have seven ballistic vests and some rifles though. Do you guys want them?"

Connor and Travis exchanged looks before shrugging.

"Sure. Might get us a promotion."

He helped the brothers load the equipment the mercenaries had brought, they exchanged information and the promise to talk more again, and they drove off. Percy made it all the way back to his house before he was met by _another_ unwanted guest. A very, very unwanted guest. Fiery redheads were dangerous enough on their own. When they were Atlanteans, they became even more dangerous.

Artemis hit him with a haymaker that probably would have shattered his jaw if he hadn't rolled with it, and he still ended up biting his tongue hard enough to draw blood.

"Not cool," he spat the blood on the ground. "There'll be no fighting here, Artemis. I won't allow it."

"You won't _allow _it?" She narrowed her eyes at him. "You do not get to tell me what I can and can't do, Percy!"

"You're right, I can't," he nodded, and she seemed taken aback by his agreement. "But Triton, as your betrothed, can. Do I need to get him involved?"

"Is that what this is about? The engagement? I don't particularly care for it either, but I'm doing my duty."

"Is it that easy for you?" Percy asked her. "To just…see it as doing your duty and damn everything else?"

"What are you _talking_ about?" She demanded. "You acted weird after I told you, and then you nearly got yourself killed, and that stupid Amazonian woman claimed that _I_ was at fault for your reckless nature—"

"She said what? Is that what sparked that fight?"

"So I demand an explanation, Perseus!" She finished as if he hadn't spoken, "what about this has upset you?"

He was hit by a sinking feeling in his stomach.

"You don't know." He said quietly. "Neptune's Beard, Chiron had told me I was as obvious as a whale, so I assumed you knew."

"Knew _what_, Percy?" She placed her hands on her hips. "What is so profound and important that you'd avoid me as you have? I had to interrogate the Queen-Mother to find out where you'd gone, because Chiron wouldn't tell me! No one would!"

"Artemis, just…for a moment, shut up and let me think," Percy raised a hand.

She didn't know that he…cared for her. _Percy_ barely realised how much he cared for her until she had dropped the bombshell of her engagement on him. Triton obviously didn't know, but he was less at fault than Percy would like to think. If he told her…things would change. He honestly didn't know if she reciprocated, because sometimes it seemed like a yes, and other times, it seemed like she didn't realise that he had been flirting with her. Sometimes _he_ didn't realise he was flirting with her either. Percy…didn't have a lot of experience in the subject. If he told her the truth, things would go badly. For everyone. Even Percy wasn't _that_ selfish, even if he wanted to be. He bit the bullet.

"I was planning on leaving Atlantis," he said. "For good. We were going to finish up in the Pacific, and then you and Chiron were going to return to Atlantis, and I was going to come here. I was surprised by your engagement, is all. I thought we'd have had more time, but we didn't."

Artemis recoiled as if he had slapped her.

"Were you going to tell me?"

This was the part he wasn't looking forward to.

"No." He said quietly. "You didn't need to know."

"Didn't need to—how _dare_ you! After all we've been through, you were just going to discard me like…like—" she trailed off and glared furiously at him. "Very well. I imagine I'll see you at my wedding. Farewell, Prince Perseus."

He tried not to flinch at her words. He only had himself to blame, after all.

"I imagine not, Princess Artemis," he replied. "May your life be a blessed one."

She didn't dignify him with a response, instead leaping back into the water. There'd be a ship nearby that would take her back to Atlantis, and then she was really going to be gone. He wasn't lying anymore.

Percy wasn't going to go back to Atlantis.

**End Book One: Go into the Water**

**MMXX**

**There we have it! Book One complete, and it only took me like, a day and a half to write this chapter! We had a couple of things happen, most important being the 'end' of Percy and Artemis if you could call it that. They're not in love, because I didn't write them that way, but they had the potential to be. It's not seen because frankly, I didn't write this story very well at first, but Percy and Artemis spent years together in Atlantis, and then about a year together doing superhero stuff. From now on, Percy's going to be the sole Atlantean operating on the surface, and while Book Two will have some scenes in Atlantis, most of the book will deal with the newly founded Argonauts, the changing world in the aftermath of Atlas' invasion, and Percy's recent discovery regarding Luke. I also (re)introduced the Stoll brothers, though calling it a reintroduction is a bit facetious because they were mentioned in about one line in the first chapter. I don't know enough about cops to know if brothers could be partnered up together, but I couldn't resist the irony of having the **_**Stoll**_** brothers be police officers. One of the things I want to write is just how **_**normal**_** the people Percy grew up with are. Annabeth is wicked smaht, because the plot demands it, but Grover works for an environmental group. The Stolls are cops. More will be seen.**

**As always, feel free to leave a review, or send me a PM! I am now moderating guest reviews because people feel the need to test my patience and ask the one question I explicitly asked to not be asked. Granted, one was a cheeky-breeky boy who asked if I was updating Eternal, which told me that they had not looked at Eternal in a long time because I posted an update regarding that whole situation. Please don't make me slam my head into my desk in frustration, dear readers. I barely have enough brain cells as it is. **

**Finally, I'm going to work on the Interlude, which is Ch. 21, and then I'm going to turn my focus to Filii Deorum. I'll keep working on Book Two, of course, which now has a name to be revealed at a later time, but the majority of my attention will be on FD. Once _that's_ done, I'll come back to this.**

**Cheers,**

**CombatTombat**


	21. Chapter 21 (Interlude I)

**Interlude I**

Daniel Sloan had been president for eight months, two weeks, six days, and fourteen hours when the nation's capital was attacked by an 'interdimensional army led by a being we've been told was the Titan Atlas from ancient mythology.' His polls had never been higher, especially since the Argonauts—and God, what a pretentious name—had assembled in the capital to defeat the threat. But the fact that he _needed_ his polls to be higher troubled him.

Even worse was the fact that he had met one of the heroes long before they were known to the world—Percy Jackson had been classmates with his son, and Matt had never liked the boy. That dislike had become more pronounced when the truth of him was revealed. Personally, Daniel had never understood it, but kids these days were different from his own generation.

It wasn't until he watched Jackson summon a storm using that golden fork of his that he became worried. The capitol had never been hit with a storm of that magnitude in its long history, and the fact that it was controlled so precisely made many of his top generals both nervous and excited. There had been exactly one attempt to recruit Jackson that Daniel knew of, three days after he returned to his home, and the refusal had been simple and concise.

His exact words had been 'Fuck off.'

Which was why he found himself meeting with those same top generals and admirals, as well as a few other national security advisors. Within a day of the Incident, China and Russia had found and either recruited or conscripted a team of Metahumans into their military. That gave them an advantage the United States could not allow. If the Argonauts wouldn't step up, they could find others who would.

They just…needed to find them. It turned out that his predecessor had been steadfast in not performing tests or conducting investigations into possible metahumans, so there wasn't a lot to go on. Those who were well known were, well, the Argonauts, and any others had done a good job at avoiding the spotlight. The fact that they could only confirm the identity of _two_ out of nearly a hundred metahumans in the United States was troubling.

"As simple as it may sound, Mister President," one of the generals was telling him, "simple advertisements asking patriotic metahumans to enlist may get the desired results. If we offer extra benefits depending on their abilities, create a new classification for them, and place them in Metahuman exclusive units, it may be easier for them to accept."

"We can create a more detailed plan, of course," another officer jumped in, "but my colleague has the right idea, Mister President."

"Then let's get it done," Daniel nodded. "I'd prefer if we had it on the air at the end of the month, if possible. I want metahumans in the military by Christmas."

"We'll do our best, sir," the general promised, "now there's the matter of Solace Enterprises funding the construction of a facility for the Argonauts. It's privately owned, so we can't do anything, but there's some worry about what might happen _inside_ the facility."

"I'll dig deeper, see what we can do," Daniel promised. "Anything else?"

**XXXMXXX**

"You're doing what?" Percy had crossed his arms, glaring right at Ghost, who didn't back down, despite the Atlantean towering over him by nearly a foot. He had asked Reyna to come with him to see Percy, and she had agreed. His idea was a good one, and she thought it would be good for Percy too.

"Look, like it or not, we've become a public organisation because of Washington," Ghost said slowly. Reyna had a feeling he wasn't as happy about the decision either. "If we maintain the appearance that we're still working together, trying to solve threats, then chances are any major government and non-government organisations will let us be. We don't have to have weekly meetings discussing finances or whether or not we're making a positive impact, but so long as we _look_ like we're working together, then there's no problem. This keeps the government off my back, off your back, and off everyone else's back. Sound good?"

"I already told them to leave me alone," Percy snapped. He had been more irritable recently, and she had a decent idea as to why.

"It's not a bad idea, Percy," she offered, "if anything it will allow us to ensure that there's no overlap in any operations conducted."

She had spent enough time watching both Artemis and Chiron wrangle Percy to know how to talk to him. It worked, because he let out a deep sigh, pinched the bridge of his nose, and then nodded.

"Fine, I'll do it. Have you spoken to Praetor and the others?"

"Praetor agreed immediately, and the others will now that you have," Ghost said, "you don't realise how influential you are among metas, Jackson. You were the first of us to be public."

"There were others operating before I was revealed," Percy shook his head. "_You_ were one of them."

"No, I wasn't," Ghost replied quietly. "There was another Ghost before me. I took the role on from them after the police dropped a bomb on the building they were in."

"I'm sorry, for what it's worth," Percy placed a hand on Ghost's shoulder. "This existence took my mother. It almost took me."

"I'm aware," Ghost said. "What do you plan to do with those mercenaries you recruited?"

"I don't know yet," Percy shrugged, "I'll figure it out."

"Excuse me, mercenaries?"

"Oh yeah, some guy I went to school with was hired to kidnap me," Percy explained as he turned, "I incapacitated them and then recruited them when he told me to kill them and save him the money. I dunno what to do about them, but like I said, I'll figure it out."

"Well, this new facility will need security, will it not?" Reyna suggested, "have them protect it."

"That's…not a bad idea, actually. I was planning on paying them a stupid amount of money, anyway."

"What, by selling the lighthouse?" Ghost scoffed.

"I can name six shipwrecks that would make me richer than your benefactor _each_," Percy grinned. "Together? I could probably buy South America."

"Which country?"

"No, the _continent_."

"Ah." Ghost cocked his head. "That would make you the richest man alive, then?"

"Only if I want to be," Percy shrugged. "I'm hungry. There's a decent diner ten minutes away. Either of you want to join me?"

"I would like that," Reyna smiled at him.

"I'm fine," Ghost replied. "I need to be back in Detroit."

"Have fun, kiddo," Percy laughed. "Come on."

"Like this?" She frowned, indicating to their armour. Percy just winked at her.

Well, if they were going to make a statement, they might as well make a big one.

**MMXX**

**This is a short and dirty interlude. It's really just to set up Book Two, so it's nothing special. It's more two one shots than a coherent chapter, but it suits this purpose. Again, now that I've finished Book One, I'm going to turn my focus back to Filii Deorum (which you should read if you haven't!) and finish that story up. Then I'll come back to this one. Or maybe work on another project. :)**

**Cheers, CombatTombat**


End file.
